Chargesheet in Burdwan case points to worries
The National Investigation Agency's assertion, in its chargesheet filed in the Burdwan case on Monday, that the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh is using Indian territory and Indian citizens to topple the Government in Dhaka, adds credibility to suspicions that had emerged in the aftermath of the blast last year. An accidental explosion at a secret JMB ‘workshop’ in the Khagragarh area of West Bengal's Burdwan district on October 2, 2014, had sparked fears that the group was building a safe haven in India, from where it could attack Bangladesh. So much so, that Bangladeshi leaders and officials had even come to India to express their concerns to their counterparts in New Delhi and Kolkata. Now, all those fears, suspicions and concerns have been formally documented by the state.
Of course, before the NIA's charges are confirmed, they will have to the tested in a court of law, but it is highly unlikely that the national body would make such grievous accusations without solid evidence. In its chargesheet, the NIA states that, in order to realise its vision of establishing a Shariat state in Bangladesh (and possibly parts of West Bengal), the JMB had been targeting, radicalising, recruiting and training youngsters in West Bengal, Assam and Jharkhand. The NIA also claims that the JMB was running at least three madarssas that functioned as regular educational institutions during the day and turned into training camps at night. The group also targeted women who provided additional cover for its terror activities.
The fact that, of the 21 individuals named by NIA, 17 are Indian citizens, shows that the JMB's network in this country has been flourishing. This is possibly the first time in recent history that Indian nationals have been suspected of engaging in jihadi activities against a foreign Government. India has always taken pride that, despite the many socio-economic and political challenges within its borders, Indian Muslims have almost never participated in large-scale Islamist terror against their home state and definitely not against friendly neighbours. That record might now be tarnished with terror acts against Bangladesh is ironic because in recent years Dhaka has helped India become more secure by destroying anti-India camps in Bangladesh. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has handed over to Indian authorities, separatists, militants andjihadists of all sorts who had taken refuge in her country.
If she is now assassinated by an Indian national as part of a plot hatched on Indian territory, that would be a crying shame. Another area of concern is the role of Pakistan and its Inter-Services Intelligence agency. The NIA believes that the JMB receives support, particularly financial help, from the ISI. If true, this fits perfectly with Pakistan's tried and tested gameplan of using proxy groups to destabilise India — and, in this case, Bangladesh. Thankfully, Indian and Bangladeshi authorities are putting up a strong joint effort to fight the scourge of terror.