Burdwan blast: India's NIA names 21 for bid to overthrow Hasina regime

India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Monday filed chargesheet against four Bangladesh and 17 Indian nationals in the case relating to the Burdwan  blasts. 

New Delhi Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 30 March 2015, 04:55 PM
Updated : 31 March 2015, 03:29 AM

The NIA filed the  chargesheet in the Court of NIA Special Judge against 21 individuals for their involvement in the conspiracy of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen (Bangladesh) (JMB), a proscribed terrorist organization in Bangladesh, to overthrow the ruling Awami League government in Bangladesh through violent terrorist acts and “replace it with a hard-line Sharia based Islamic rule.”
 
Of the 21 charge sheeted person, 13 have been arrested and eight are still absconding. Amongst those absconding, three are Bangladeshi. 
 
NIA officials told bdnews24.com that Nasirullah alias Nasrulla alias Sahadat Seikh alias Sohail alias Hathkata, a Bangladeshi National who was residing at Murshidabad is still at large, along with Kausar (resided at Birbhum), Talha Sheikh alias Talha Sekh (resided in Birbhum).   
 
However, Sheikh Rahamatullah alias Sajid alias Burhan Sekh, who resided near Lalgola, Mukimnagar, Murshidabad has been arrested.
 
The NIA chargesheet said that a case was registered at Burdwan police station vide FIR no. 1134/2014 onOctober 2 last year after an accidental blast in the 1st floor of rented house at Khagragarh, in Burdwan district of West Bengal which resulted in the death of the master mind of the bomb making module of JMB, Sakil Gazi (A Bangladeshi national) along with his associate Kerim Sheikh.
 
The case was later transferred to the NIA for investigations.
 
The investigation by NIA, which was spread over number of states, has revealed that JMB has established its network in India primarily in the states of West Bengal, Assam and Jharkhand. Its activities in India primarily included recruitment, radicalisation and training of vulnerable youths in a systematic and organised manner.

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 programs, organisational meetings, fund collection drives, hideouts for cadres and their families. A network of terrorist training camps at selected Madrasas and other hideouts was found to be in operation where selected youths were indoctrinated into the violent jihadi ideology as well as trained for violent action by using explosives and firearms. The effort of recruitment, radicalisation and training of vulnerable Indian youths was undertaken by members of JMB for preparing a large group of Indians based on their common religious and linguistic identity, primarily in the Indian states bordering Bangladesh, to join the JMB and utilise them for the movement to overthrow the existing democratic government in Bangladesh.
 

The accused in Burdwan blast, Nur Jamal Haque and Sahanur Alom being taken to be produced at Guwahati Court on Dec 20, 2014. IANS

During course of investigation conducted till date, more than 250 witnesses were examined and around 100 searches were conducted in large number of places across the states of West Bengal, Assam and Jharkhand, leading to seizures of huge volumes of documents, computers, explosives, chemicals, arms & ammunition, and other incriminating materials.
The accused persons have been individually charged for commission of various criminal offences under section 16, 17, 18, 20 of Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, as well as section 419, 420, 467, 468, 471 of IPC and section 25 of Arms Act, section 5 of Explosive Substances Act, section 12 of Passports Act and section 14 of Foreigners Act.