Kolkata:

The arrest of two key accused in the Rameswaram cafe blast case – which was traced from Bengaluru to Bengal’s East Midnapore district – sparked an expected political tussle ahead of the elections between the state’s ruling Trinamool Congress and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party. Is.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said at an election rally in Bengal’s Cooch Behar’s Dinhata that the state had become a “safe haven for terrorists” under her rule. Ms Banerjee, who is a fierce critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his BJP, pointed out, “Those people (who were arrested) are not from Bengal… They are hiding here. Give them Arrested within hours.”

“If there is peace in Bengal, the BJP cannot afford it,” the Trinamool chief fumed, asking if BJP-ruled states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar were safer.

Senior Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh also hit back at the BJP’s attacks, pointing out the arresting agency – the National Investigation Agency or NIA – “had to accept the active cooperation of the state police”.

“Their press release mentions the cooperation of the state police in their arrests,” he asserted.

Mr. Ghosh said the police in Bengal were “steadfast in suppressing anti-national forces” and were always ready to cooperate with other agencies. He cited reports that the NIA had questioned a BJP worker in connection with the March 1 blast at the popular Rameswaram Cafe, in which 10 people were injured.

The men arrested this morning – Mavisir Hussain Shazeeb and Abdul Mateen Taha – are believed to be key conspirators. Taha allegedly handled the logistics while Shazeb planted the bomb. They were traced to Kanthi, or Kontai, located in Purba Medinipur district, 180 km from Kolkata.

Read on 2 people arrested from Bengal for planting bomb in Bengaluru cafe

Notably, Kanthi is the stronghold of BJP’s Swaindu Adhikari, who was a close aide of Ms Banerjee before crossing over, weeks before the 2021 Bengal Assembly elections. Mr Adhikari defeated Ms Banerjee in a high-profile clash from the prestigious Nandigram seat.

In comments seen as a taunt at Mr Adhikari, Trinamool leaders have cited a “prominent political family” in the region and alleged links between the family and the Rameswaram cafe bombers.

“Why were they found in Kanthi… What is the connection there? Our chairperson, Mamata Banerjee also raised the question as to how they got shelter in Kanthi?” Trinamool Dr. Shashi Panja said.

“BJP is trying to avoid it and hence it is distracting people,” he claimed.

The angry backlash from Trinamool leaders came after BJP’s Amit Malviya posted on X (formerly Twitter) about the arrests of Shazeeb and Taha, saying “Both may have come from Karnataka. SIS is from Cell”.

Mr. Malviya’s post was quickly fact-checked by the Bengal Police.

Central agencies have officially acknowledged the active role of WBP in this matter.

West Bengal has never been a safe haven for terrorists and the state police will always be vigilant to keep its people safe from nefarious activities. (2/2)

— West Bengal Police (@WBPolice) April 12, 2024

The police said that “contrary to Amit Malviya’s claims”, the two accused were arrested after a joint operation by them and central intelligence agencies. “The proactive role of the West Bengal Police… has been officially recognized by central agencies. West Bengal has never been a safe haven for terrorists and the state police will always remain vigilant…” the police said.

Rameswaram Cafe, which was extensively damaged after the blast, reopened eight days later, with increased security measures including metal detectors.

Read on Bengaluru’s Rameswaram Cafe reopens 8 days after blast.

“We have strengthened our security team and are also looking to set up a separate panel of ex-servicemen who will train security guards across all our branches,” said co-founder Raghavendra Rao.

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