Centre alerts NE govts on B’desh terror outfits’ possible activities

GUWAHATI/AGARTALA — The Central government and various central intelligence agencies have alerted the northeastern states about the activities of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) and its associate outfits, officials said on Thursday. 

A top police official said that after getting the Centre’s directives, all the central and state intelligence agencies further stepped up its vigilance all across the mixed populated, bordering and vulnerable areas.

“Among the seven northeastern states, Bangladesh-based terror outfits always have a target in Assam and Tripura to expand their base due to geopolitical and demographic reasons. However, these groups never succeeded in their plans as the alert Indian agencies thwarted their plans at the initial stage,” the official told IANS, refusing to be quoted.

Assam Police during the last year have arrested many suspected cadres for allegedly having links with Bangladeshi terror module Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) and Al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS).

These cadres were arrested from different districts and bordering areas of Assam.

According to the official, cases have been registered against the detainees under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Passport Act, 1920, and the Foreigners Act, 1946.

The official said that the Bangladesh-based terror outfits’ possible activities in the northeastern states would be discussed in the annual meeting of the Director General of Police-Inspector General of Police in New Delhi later this month.

Meanwhile, Central intelligence agencies have also alerted their state-level counterparts in West Bengal on JMB activities.

Reports said that central intelligence agencies have also alerted about future plans and initiatives by JMB to reorganise their existing terror modules in seven districts which especially include those which are having borders with neighbouring Bangladesh.

These seven districts include Malda, Murshidabad, North Dinajpur, Birbhum, Nadia, North 24 Parganas and South 24 Parganas.

After the Bangladesh unrest began in June-July, the Border Security Force (BSF) enhanced surveillance along the 4,096 km border with the neighbouring country to prevent trans-border crime and infiltration, the BSF officials said.

Five Indian states – West Bengal (2216 km), Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Mizoram (318 km) and Assam ( 263 km) share a border with Bangladesh.

In the last three and a half months, over 450 Bangladeshi nationals and over 60 Rohingyas were arrested by the Government Railway Police, BSF and Tripura Police from the Agartala railway station and various other places in Tripura after they illegally entered India.

Assam police have also detected around 150 infiltrators during the past three months and pushed them to Bangladesh.

Both the Bangladeshi nationals and the Rohingyas told the Indian security officials that they illegally entered India in search of jobs and shelter.