Cops link Ajmer, Tripura blasts: Bangladeshi insurgents suspected

Cops link Ajmer, Tripura blasts
22 Oct 2008, 0323 hrs IST, Nitesh Kumar Shama, TNN

JAIPUR: The anti-terrorist squad (ATS) of state police, investigating the serial blasts in Jaipur, has stumbled upon some clues which may also throw up some light on the yet to be solved Ajmer dargah blasts which occurred in October last year. The team also found some similarities between the Ajmer blasts and the Tripura blasts which took place on October 1.

According to sources, two live bombs which did not go off in Agartala had striking similarities with the bombs used in Ajmer.

Besides, the ATS has also got some fresh leads on the Bangladeshi insurgents’ role in the Ajmer blasts, which is also the case with Agartala blasts. Now, a police team from Rajasthan is scheduled to visit Agartala to interrogate the arrested in connection with the blasts there.

“We have got details of the bombs which did not go off in Agartala. Mobiles were used as timers while the battery connected to the bombs was of nine volts. Same was with Ajmer blasts. The terrorists used mobile phone as timer device and the batteries were of nine volts . The electronic circuit of the bombs is exactly the same. Besides, explosives were of low intensity and were of same quantity,” said an official.

As the All-Tripura Tiger Force is being suspected to be behind the Agartala serial blasts with active support of Harkat-ul-Jihad-al Islami Bangladesh, the links between the Ajmer and Agartala serials blasts seem more glaring to the officials.

“We have come across some Bangladeshi links in the Ajmer blasts. There are some fresh reports which confirm the previous findings. A team will be sent to Agartala to probe further,” the official added.

The security agencies, meanwhile, believe that a similar method was used to set off the blast in Mecca Masjid in Hyderabad in May 2007 as a cell phone was used to trigger the explosion there as well.

The agencies were focusing on the similarity among the blasts in Malegaon (September 8, 2006), Ajmer dargah blasts (October 11, 2007), Modasa blasts (September 29, 2008) and Agartala blasts (October 1, 2008). All these blasts took place when Eid was around the corner.

Malegaon bombings resulted in the death of at least 37 people and injured 125 others. It took place after Friday prayers on the Shab e Bara’at holy day.

Tripura’s 856km border with Bangladesh: major corridor for militants, Bangladeshi infiltrators and criminals

Readymade rebel corridor

OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT, telegraphindia.com

Agartala, Oct. 2: Senior officials in the special branch (intelligence wing) of the state police, who had initially identified Bangladesh-based Harkat-ul Jihadi Islami (Huji) militants as responsible for the mayhem, today said “no attribution” was possible unless investigations made progress. However, a senior police officer said West Bengal police had informed them last month that militant outfits of the Northeast, specially Ulfa, the All Tripura Tiger Force and the Kamtapur Liberation Organisation (KLO), backed by Huji, had decided to unleash terror in the urban areas through bomb blasts. “The matter apparently came to the fore after the arrest of a KLO militant leader in North Bengal last month. The information was passed on to the state police, but it was not acted upon possibly because of complacency as the Tiger Force seems to have weakened over the past few years,” he added. The officer said activists of the outfits were trained by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) and the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI) of Bangladesh in remote Maksingcherra near Chittagong in the use of explosives and urban terror. Though police officials were loathe to admit it, Tripura’s 856km border with Bangladesh has emerged as a major corridor for transborder movement of militants, infiltrators and Bangladeshi criminals over the past few years. Barbed-wire fencing over 690km of the border since 2004 has acted as a deterrent against free transborder movement, but militants still manage to sneak in and out of the state. Besides, there are stretches of unfenced areas. The inherent danger in the situation was exposed by the arrest of Mamun Mia, a Dhaka-based Bangladeshi criminal and gunrunner with suspected connections with the Huji. The officer said four Huji militants had halted here last month. Two of them proceeded to Karimganj in Assam and Manipur and two others simply “melted away”, according to information shared by central agencies this morning. “The scenario is complicated and there is no point in hazarding guesses without getting full details,” he added. “Lax vigil along the border and complacence on the part of police over decline in insurgent attacks in the state may have emboldened terrorists to go for the serial blasts,” another police officer said. He added that securitymen would have a tough time managing the Pujas this year.

Imam arrested for Tripura terror attacks

CID arrests Imam for serial blasts
– Terror over unclaimed bags links Shillong and Tripura capital as Puja frenzy begins
SEKHAR DATTA
Agartala, Oct. 6: The CID team, searching for leads in the bomb blast case, apprehended Bilal Ahmed, the imam of Nagicherra mosque last night. Ahmed, 26, has been remanded in 10 days’ police custody by the court of the judicial magistrate.

The Tripura State Jamiat Ulema Hind protested the imam’s arrest with its president mufti Taibur Rahaman describing the arrest as “unnecessary victimisation”.

The officer-in-charge of East Agartala police station, Sanjay Biswas, said Ahmed had been booked under Sections 326, 307, 427 IPC and also under Explosives Act. Police had arrested the imam on the basis of “definite information”, he said.

Tarun Debbarma, 25, and Lalit Koloi, 26, two tribals, were arrested today by the officer-in-charge of West Agartala police station, Subrata Chakraborty, on grounds of “suspected involvement” in the serial blast case from Radhanagar today.

Commenting on Ahmed, the mufti said he originally is from Sharjul Kurthi village in Karimganj district of Assam and had been working as the imam of the Nagicherra mosque for the past year.

“He is innocent because we appointed him as the imam only after being convinced of his credentials. The police have dragged him into the case, giving a bad name to the community and the faith.”

The mufti, however, condemned the serial blasts in Agartala and described them as “heinous anti-national acts”.

Standing on the premises of Gedu Mia Town Jame Masjid, the organisation’s vice-president, Abdul Bari Chowdhury, told the media that several policemen had barged into his residence and desecrated the sanctity of a private mosque attached to it in northeastern Agartala to make queries. A delegation of the organisation will meet chief minister Manik Sarkar and submit a deputation.

The SIM of the mobile set fitted across the explosives yesterday is 9856834686. Ithad been issued in favour of a tribal youth, Bijay Debbarma, of Mekhlibundh area of Sadar (north), till recently a happy hunting ground of banned All Tripura Tiger Force militants.

A CID source said: “The identification of the SIM card holder has strengthened our suspicion that the Tiger Force militants had a significant role to play in the blasts.”

Senior police officials and bomb experts from Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, Jaipur and UP will examine the nature of the bombs used in Agartala blasts.

Terror strikes Tripura: Bangladesh Muslim terrorists (HUJI) suspected

Agartala’s turn to be hit by terror
2 Oct, 2008, 0155 hrs IST, ET Bureau

NEW DELHI: Terror struck Tripura’s capital Agartala on Wednesday evening when five bombs went off within 5 minutes in crowded market places and a bus
stand. Two persons were confirmed dead.

Most victims were shopping on the eve of Eid ul Fitar, deputy inspector general of police Nepal Das told agencies. “At least two of the blasts were powerful,” Das said, adding that the serial explosions were the first such attacks in Tripura.

The first blast went off at Radhanagar bus stand at around 7.30pm. Both the men who died were hit by this blast. Explosions in the other places followed in quick succession.

The other blasts were at the popular Gol Bazar and near-simultaneous blasts at the GB Market. The police official said that timer devises were used to trigger the explosions.

According to senior home ministry officials here, Tripura’s two main insurgent groups, the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), do not have a history of carrying out bomb attacks on civilians. However, they did not rule out a possible link between these two outfits with Bangladeshi terror groups like Huji.

“Tripura has a long border with Bangladesh and intelligence agencies point to the presence of senior leaders of both NLFT and ATTF in Bangladesh,” a senior MHA official told, indicating that NLFT and ATTF may have offered logistical support to Huji.

Synchronised serial blasts are, however, new to Tripura, though there have been explosions by Ulfa in Assam in both 2006 and 2007. The Agartala attack rebuffs the theory that terror is unleashed only in places affected by communal disturbances. The Left-controlled Tripura has no history of communal conflicts.

Police sources, quoting eyewitnesses, said two persons riding a motorcycle were seen moving suspiciously at Radhanagar bus stand and the blast took place there three minutes after they left the area. Central intelligence agencies had on September 25 warned northeastern states of an impending terror attack and BSF officials here confirmed having received the input. The state was on alert for possible attacks ahead of Durga Puja and Dussehra.

“Some of the injured are in critical condition,” Mr Das said. There was chaos after the blasts. People were out shopping when the explosions occurred. Many of the wounded were women. The Agartala is the latest in a series of terror attacks on different cities, starting with Bangalore more than a month ago. More than 125 people have been killed in total by recent blasts.

Last week, the Army had killed at least seven heavily armed militants of Huji in a gunbattle on the Assam border.

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/india-news/agartalas-hit-by-terror-islamic-militants-suspected_100102824.html

Agartala’’s hit by terror, Islamic militants suspected
October 2nd, 2008 – 6:36 pm ICT by ANI –

By Pinaki Das

Agartala, Oct 2 (ANI): Terror struck Agartala, the capital of Tripura on Wednesday evening when five bombs went off within 30 minutes in crowded market places and a bus stand.

Two persons were confirmed dead and about 76 injured in the five blasts of which at least two of the blasts were powerful.

The injured were taken to the nearby hospital. According to sources in the hospital some of the injured are in critical condition.

The first blast went off at Radhanagar bus stand around 7.30 P.M. Explosions in other places followed in quick succession.

The other blasts took place at the popular Gol Bazar and almost simultaneously at the GB Market.

Central paramilitary forces have been deployed in Agartala and a red alert has been sounded in the state. A National Security Group (NSG) team has reached here to investigate the blast areas.

Most victims were out shopping on the eve of Eid ul Fitar and for the coming Durga Puja.

Police officials suspect that timer devises were used to trigger the explosions.

Tripuras two main insurgent groups, the National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and All Tripura Tiger Force (ATTF), do not have a history of carrying out bomb attacks on civilians, however, a possible link between these two outfits with Bangladeshi Islamic fundamentalist terror groups like Harkat ul-Jihad-e-Islami (Huji) has not been ruled out by security agencies.

Tripura has a long border with Bangladesh and intelligence agencies point to the presence of senior leaders of both NLFT and ATTF in Bangladesh and they may have offered logistical support to Huji.

Meanwhile, eyewitnesses said two persons riding a motorcycle were seen moving suspiciously at Radhanagar bus stand and the blast took place about three minutes after they left the area.

Central intelligence agencies had on September 25 warned northeastern states of an impending terror attack and Border Security Force (BSF) officials here confirmed having received the input. The state was on alert for possible attacks ahead of Durga Puja and Dussehra. (ANI)

Illegal Bangladeshis: From infiltration to migration and then…?

From infiltration to migration and then…?

31 July, 2008, Hhowrah.org

If former Assam Governor Lt Gen (Retd) Ajay Singh’s assertion of around 6000 illegal Bangladeshis entering Assam daily is even partially correct, the fate of India’s North East is at stake. The horrific demographic imbalance will see Bangla migrants outnumber the entire population of the region in the next two decades.

Despite Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi shrugging off the Governor’s seemingly inflated claim, the fact is that infiltration into the State remains unabated over the years. Social tension is strengthening, which is evident in the text-message campaigns in Upper Assam advocating a social and economic boycott of Bangladeshi migrants.

The moot question: is it a threat to survival or survival of the threat?

Decades back, the powerful All Assam Students Union (ASSU) had launched a bloody campaign to push Bangladeshis back to their land. Indigenous people who feared a minority status in their own land massacred thousands of Bangladeshis, including women and children, across the State. New Delhi signed an accord in 1985, but clauses on the deportation of foreigners have still not been implemented. Though there are genuine Assamese Muslims and mainland Muslims, the present influx of illegal Bangladeshis in the State threatens the country’s internal security.

Today, 23 years after the agreement was signed, illegal migrants from Bangladesh remain entrenched in the state; their identification and deportation have become increasingly remote. The political parties have played a major role here by maneuvering to consolidate their electoral vote-banks.

The Assam agitation peaked in the early 1980s, but has completely dissipated due to the compromises made by the political forces that are driven by narrow interests. There is a conspiracy of silence in their political posturing that has uprooted socio- cultural-political mores. The long stretch of Assam forest bordering Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh has over the years disappeared and been systematically occupied by the illegal immigrants. The trouble is most of these illegal settlers are well equipped with valid land holding documents issued by the Assam administration.

The Nagaland Government often alleges that these illegal immigrants have even occupied the Disputed Area Belt (DAB) that leads to frequent border skirmishes.

Tripura is a case in extremes and Nagaland is the next target because of late Bangla migrants have been swarming the State. In the last few years, there has been a dramatic change in the socio-economic ethos of the State. Lack of work culture, easy money and a laid back opulent life style are the main reasons why these Muslims mostly coming from Bangladesh into Assam first are then entering Nagaland.   All the menial jobs, construction of houses, taxi driving, rickshaw pulling and cultivation are mostly done by these Muslims today. They also run almost half of the shops in Dimapur, the biggest commercial hub of the State and the capital, Kohima.  Though historically the Nagas had no links with either the Bangla or Assamese Muslims.

However, Muslims had come to Manipur from Sylhet in the 17th century during the reign of King Khagemba (1597-1652) at the invitation of Prince Sadongba. Reportedly Prince Sadongba had planned to dethrone his brother King Khagenmba with the help of these Muslims. In many battles, Manipur Kings used the services of these Muslim soldiers who were considered skilled fighters.  Many Muslim soldiers also lost their lives when Manipur suffered in the 1758 Burmese-Manipur war. Even when the British defeated Manipur in 1891, many Muslim soldiers were also killed and some were deported to Andaman and Nicobar Islands.  How can Assam have such a huge Muslim population spilling over into other parts of the region unless coming from across the international border?

Cases over IMDT

There has been a slew of court cases fought over the efficacy of the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) Act (IMDT) to identify and deport the illegal Bangladeshi migrants, which has led to the Supreme Court of India striking down the IMDT Act in favour of the Foreigner’s Act.   Yet there have been attempts to bypass this order by amending the Foreigner’s Act and providing special provisions for the state of Assam. There are some Assamese Muslim organizations that have come up in Upper Assam to tackle the identity crisis they are facing. Successive Congress governments in the state have sought to consolidate the Bangladeshi vote-bank, which has paid huge dividends. It was only during the last assembly elections in Assam that the IMDT Act was struck down by the Supreme Court and the Congress faced reverses in getting Muslim votes.

According to the 2001 Census, the Muslim population in the North-East was recorded at 8,858,543 as against 6,805,647 in 1991. Out of this, Assam’s share was recorded at 8,240,611, followed by Tripura at 254,442 and Manipur at 190,939. Five other states have Muslim populations of less than one Lakh: 99,169 in Meghalaya, 10,099 in Mizoram, 35,005 in Nagaland, 7,693 in Sikkim, and 20,675 in Arunachal Pradesh. As the 2001 Census data indicates, in Assam, the overall Hindu population was 64.9 per cent as against 67.1 per cent in 1991, while the Muslim population for the corresponding years stood at 30.9 per cent and 28.4 per cent respectively. Though several factors might have contributed to this demographic change, several analysts believe that the unabated influx of illegal migrants from Bangladesh could be a major factor in this increase.

Against the backdrop of these developments, the abnormal increase in the number of madrasas in Assam numbering about 1466, of which 810 are registered, is a matter of concern. Intelligence agencies have been warning for years that many of these madrasas could be safe havens for radical elements. Surprisingly, Islamic groups have been silent on the tumultuous issue of illegal migration from Bangladesh to Assam. Intelligence inputs have expressed trepidation about these groups being instigated to violence by external Islamic groups on the pretext of safeguarding interests of minorities facing harassment at the hands of outfits spearheading the oust-Bangladeshi campaign in the region. Strategists in the Home Ministry fear that the tug-of-war over migrants of suspected Bangla origin could become the trigger for groups such as Harkat-Ul-Jehadi-Islami(HUJI) to fish in the troubled waters of the North-East.

The surfacing of these groups and their ability to strike deals with prominent outfits like the ULFA and extraneous Islamic groups has added a new twist to the multifarious security environment that besets the North East. The best antidote to counter this emerging threat is to break their nexus with groups like the ULFA and their external allies. Sitting like a lame duck on this unholy alliance will prove to be too costly for India’s geopolitical security in the years ahead.