Bengal assures Centre all help in Burdwan blast probe

National Security Adviser Ajit Doval accompanied by National Security Guard (NSG) chief Jayanta Narayan Choudhury and National Investigation Agency (NIA) director general Sharad Kumar, met West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at “Nabanna”, the State Secretariat in Kolkata.

The two were learnt to have discussed the whole situation. The NSA is also learnt to have discussed regarding the lapses in the blast probe by the state police.

He also urged Bengal Government to cooperate with the probe.

As a matter of fact, Mamata Banerjee’s government had earlier opposed an NIA probe into the blast before the union home ministry asked the central agency to intervene.

It has been learnt that Doval said CM that the Centre is worried about a larger plot to spur terrorism in the country and at the same time destabilize a friendly government in Bangladesh.

After the meeting, the central delegation of country’s top security and intelligence chiefs told the media that Mamata Banerjee-led Bengal Government has assured all help in the ongoing Burdwan blast probe.

“We met the chief minister and discussed the issue with her and we are happy to say that the chief minister and the West Bengal government have assured that the Centre and the state will work together in unearthing the entire case and take all kinds of action to see that such cases are investigated properly and prevented in future,” Prakash Mishra, special secretary for internal security in the union home ministry, has been quoted by media as saying to media persons after the meeting.

Doval also expressed pleasure over his meeting with the chief minister.

He told the media that "the Centre and West Bengal government are together to investigate the Burdwan blast case. We came to the state to give a professional touch in the current probe being carried out by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The Centre has taken a serious note of Burdwan blast incident."

Earlier, NSA Ajit Doval went to Burdwan’s Khagragarh and visited the house where the blast took place on Oct 2 in which two Jamat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) militants were killed while another one was injured.

Doval was accompanied by JN Choudhury, Sharad Kumar and Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief Asif Ibrahim.

He spent about 34 minutes at the spot. Doval also held a meeting with central intelligence and state officials at Burdwan circuit house.

Prior to this, NIA chief Sharad Kumar on Saturday had also inspected the house in Burdwan where the blast occurred.

In this ongoing probe, six people, including two women, have been arrested by the NIA till date and it is expected that the investigating agency may announce cash rewards for any information leading to the arrest of the absconding accused in the case.

The main suspect, who goes by the name Yousuf is still absconding.

But NIA, as been reported in media has zeroed on to him.

Reports emerged that Yousuf is hiding somewhere in North Bengal.