Establishment of Sharia rule by overthrowing the democratically-elected government in Bangladesh was the motive of Burdwan module of banned terror outfit Jamiat-ul-Mujahdieen Bangladesh (JMB), according to the NIA.
Filing a charge sheet against 21 people, including four Bangladeshi nationals, in a special court in Kolkata, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) said the mastermind of the attack was Sakil Gazi, a Bangladeshi national who perished in the explosion.
Giving details of the case, NIA said that the accused were involved in a conspiracy to overthrow the existing democratic government in Bangladesh “through violent terrorist acts and replace it with a hard-line Sharia based Islamic rule, which came to light after the accidental blast.”
The investigation by NIA, which was spread over a number of states has found that JMB has established its network primarily in West Bengal, Assam and Jharkhand.
JMB’s activities in India primarily included recruitment, radicalisation and training of vulnerable youths in a systematic and organised manner and in pursuance of the conspiracy, they had established organisational bases at certain districts of West Bengal like Nadia, Burdwan, Murshidabad and Birbhum as well as in Sahebganj district of Jharkhand. These bases were used for organising radicalisation programmes, organisational meetings, fund collection drives, hideouts for cadres and their families.
NIA Chargesheet
Among those accused was one of the co-founders of JMB’s Burdwan module Sheikh Rahamatullah alias Sajjid who was allegedly smuggling bombs to Bangladesh. The NIA is also looking for three more Bangladeshi nationals including Talha Sheikh, Kausar and Nasirullah who have been named as absconders in the charge sheet.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)