Subhendu accuses Bengal govt of harbouring terrorists

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari [File Photo]


In the wake of the arrest of a terror suspect youth from Panagarh in West Burdwan, Subhendu Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in Bengal today claimed that the Bengal government has been harbouring such modules over the years, “which we’ve repeatedly condemned”. Yesterday, the Special Task Force of Bengal police arrested a youth, Habibullah Sheikh from Panagarh. He’s a student of Computer Science of Mankar College in the neighbourhood.

His brother and four others were also picked up by the STF from Nababhat in Burdwan town. They, the STF claimed, were planning to join Shahadat – an extended organization of Ansar- al-Islam, a terror outfit banned by Bangladesh in 2015. In 2016, an engineering student Ashik Sheikh was arrested from Panagarh by the NIA for his suspected link with a terror outfit. He, however was released next year as the charges against him was found concocted. Mr Adhikari, while meeting his party workers who had taken shelter at the Burdwan BJP office, said: “This TMC government has accommodated Siddiqullah Chowdhury – a mastermind of a number of rioting cases in the state cabinet.

It’d sent a SIMI (Students’ Islamic Movement of India) leader like Ahmed H Imran to Rajya Sabha.” He added: “In Gujarat, a madrassa provided a forged authorisation to a Hindu youth. It’s not just an issue of Hindu-Muslim, it’s a matter of protecting our own motherland, which this state government hasn’t paid serious heed to.”