NSA Doval urges Mamata to join Centre in fight against jihadis

KOLKATA: National security advisor Ajit Doval met chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday to deliver the grim news that Bengal is sitting on a ticking time bomb and that the state government had no option but to work with the Centre. He cautioned Mamata that the terror module unearthed after the Burdwan IED blast had far more sinister designs than believed, say sources.
If the Narendra Modi government wanted to send Mamata a message, it couldn't have been clearer: Bengal has to allow more access to central agencies and march in to root out the terror network.It's unprecedented for the NSA and NSG chief J N Choudhury to visit a state on the same day and just 48 hours after NIA boss Sharad Kumar personally inspected the terror hubs in Bengal and the India-Bangladesh border.
Doval's visit coincided with reports in the evening that Yousuf Sheikh, one of the key leaders of the JMB terror module, may have been arrested on the India-Bangladesh border by a joint NIA and Kolkata Police STF team. Officers of both agencies refused to confirm the arrest, though.
The rush of so many security and intelligence chiefs along with several top home ministry officials to probe a case that was initially not taken seriously by state police and CID is sure to mount pressure on the Mamata government. Doval, who visited the Khagragarh blast site in Burdwan in the morning, flew down to Kolkata to meet Mamata, where the talks rolled on for over two hours.
Sources say Doval apprised Mamata about jihadis "playing havoc in Bengal" and pointed out how terror elements were using Bengal for their gain. He minced no words as he stated clearly how illegal madrassas were thriving in Bengal and were being used by jihadis to recruit and train terror operatives. Doval pointed out that it was wrong of the Bengal government not to raid the Simulia madrassa where jihadi training was conducted, saying it helped one of the key players Yousuf Sheikh to flee.
NIA has identified the Burdwan blast suspects as JMB cadres who used to make IEDs here and smuggle them into Bangladesh for terror strikes. There are disturbing reports that the JMB module was part of a large conspiracy to plunge Bangladesh into anarchy with relentless bomb blasts and assassination of senior leaders of both the ruling and Opposition parties. At the same time, JMB and jihadi elements could create terror in India, too. A destabilized Bangladesh is a huge security concern for India. Also, it is for the first time that Bangladesh started complaining of insurgent groups finding safe haven in India. Top home ministry officials informed the CM that there were ISI links in the network and it had to be dealt with firmly.
Significantly, Doval is learnt to have told Mamata that if there is a focal point of the terror network in Bengal, it's Birbhum.
The intense focus of central agencies is significant also because the Bengal CM was initially reluctant to hand over the Burdwan blast case to NIA although she knew there was no way she could prevent it. Even after she gave in, Mamata alleged that it was an attempt to "disturb the federal structure".
Doval on Monday wanted to make it clear why NIA had to be involved in the blast probe. After the NIA took over, there was major progress in the investigation, he reportedly pointed out. One of the biggest successes for NIA was finding 39 hand grenades and 25 bags of explosives in a house overlooked by CID just 500 metres from the Khagragarh blast site.
Political experts feel that Mamata who was so far soft on the issue of cross-border terrorism is being prodded by the Centre to be more aggressive. They feel Mamata has not said anything on the blast because she is keen to consolidate her minority vote bank. The Trinamool leadership is going to make the blast a political issue against the Centre — blaming BSF for not being able to stop terrorists from sneaking in. But Trinamool leaders are worried that Mamata's silence on the terror issue will put off a large section of the minorities and they might move away from the ruling party.
Doval said without proper co-operation from the Bengal government, it would be impossible to fight the jihadis. Mamata agreed to provide full support, say sources.
Home ministry officials are worried about reports of a Trinamool MP's links with Jamaat leaders and handed over the necessary data to the CM. Doval wanted that the ruling party should keep such leaders at bay. NIA has found that there are about 58 jihadi modules operating in Bengal and that some Trinamool leaders are aiding the jihadis, say sources.
Later, MHA special secretary of internal security, Prakash Mishra, said: "We came here in connection with the Burdwan case. The Centre has taken it very seriously. That is the reason why NSA Ajit Doval, who has handled similar terror cases, was sent here to professionally handle the case."
Mishra added the CM assured all help. "The Centre and state will work together in unearthing the case and every action will be taken to see that such cases are investigated properly and prevented," he said.