Author: Saugar Sengupta
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: July 15, 2006
The intelligence agencies do not rule out
a connection between recent exchanges of fire between the BSF and the BDR
in the North 24 Parganas and the Mumbai blasts.
The theory gains ground following reports
that at least 3 blast suspects had crossed over to India from Bangladesh and
took shelter in Kolkata before taking a train to Mumbai to give shape to one
of the most dastardly acts of terrorism that snuffed out more than 200 lives
on black Tuesday.
Though officials hesitate to go on record
sections both in the BSF and the State police feel that "there was a
plan" behind the unprovoked firing resorted to by the BDR barely days
before the Mumbai carnage. The firing at Malda sector a fortnight before the
attacks might also have something to do with the blasts, police sources say.
"It was kind of a cover fire." They did it perhaps to divert attention
of the security forces from areas through which these terrorists might have
sneaked in.
The theory was strengthened after the BDR
once again resorted to unprovoked firing on Thursday in the North 24 Parganas.
"This could have been a ploy to help the terrorists sneak out of the
country," sources said.
According to Intelligence Bureau officials,
at least 2 terrorists, Ziabuddin Ansari and Faiz - both linked to the Pakistan-based
Lashkar-e-Tayyeba - who are experts in explosives, planting bombs and cultivating
'sleepers' (moles) sneaked through the Bangladesh border and stayed in Kolkata
before proceeding to Mumbai.
Intelligence sources also feel some underground
activists of Students' Islamic Movement of India "might have provided
lot of back up to the terrorists." On whether the intelligence are following
the lead sources said police are clamping down on could be hideouts along
the Bangladesh border.
Interestingly, both Chief Minister Buddhadeb
Bhattacharjee and Home Secretary PR Ray felt recent spate of infiltrations
were linked to terrorist activities in India. Ziabuddin is a terrorist who
specialises in explosives and has been staying in Bangaldesh for quite some
time, sources said. The same terrorist had reportedly provided cash and training
to militants recently held in Aurangabad with RDX.
On whether the security forces would raise
this issue with the BDR, officials said they "are waiting for a conclusive
evidence to come." With most North Bengal-bound trains running erratically
due to flood, the terrorists might have taken a Katihar-bound train either
to Malda or Kishanganj-Barsoi to sneak back into Bangladesh, officials surmised.
Meanwhile, in a related development it took
the serial blasts in Mumbai and the grenade attacks on tourists in Jammu and
Kashmir for the nonagenarian Marxist patriarch Jyoti Basu to decide that there
was no law and order worth the name prevailing in either States.
"There is no law and order in Maharashtra
and J&K... It was also an absolute intelligence failure," he said.
The leader however refused to comment on whether the Left Party, a UPA constituent
would criticise the Central Government for lapses on its part. "The government
is taking measures, let's see what happens," he contended.
