bdnews24.com :
Militants of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), active in India’s Assam state, were plotting to murder Bodo leaders in the state.
This was disclosed by a highly placed source in the National Investigation Agency (NIA) now investigating JMB involvement in the Oct 2 Burdwan blast in West Bengal. But the Assam police is tight lipped on the issue. JMB militants were plotting to target around 40 to 50 Bodo leaders. According to intelligence report of the NIA, the militants were also planning bomb blasts in several places in Assam, especially in the Bodo areas.
According to NIA source, the hit list was prepared to avenge the killings of Muslims during the 2012 riots in western Assam.
The Assam Government on Thursday made it clear that it was taking stern steps against Jihadi groups.
Replying to questions in the Assam Assembly on the threat posed by Jihadi groups in Assam, Minister Rockybul Hussain said JMB militants tried to motivate local Muslims in lower Assam’s Barpeta and Nalbari district by offering them security. JMB leaders had reportedly urged local youths to go for armed struggle to ensure security for Muslims.
Burdwan blast accused Sahanur Alam had set up many terror modules for JMB in several districts of lower Assam like Dhubri, Barpeta, Goalpara and Nalbari.
Armed cadres of NDFB (Sangbijit) faction, active in BTAD, had in the past two years had attacked the local Muslim population several times.
Assam DGP Khagen Sharma had recently said that JMB and other Jihadi militants are active in BTAD area where Muslims were attacked enmasse and many of them have to flee to makeshit camps.
The NIA official, on condition of anonymity, said the JMB’s Burdwan module prepared around 100 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for action in Assam.
According to Assam police source, at least 10 JMB leaders are still holed up in the state and the police are searching for them. One of them, Rafikul Islam was arrested on Wednesday, One Dr. Riyajul Haq Chowdhury from Nalbari district was said to be working for the JMB.
After the arrest of Rafikul, DGP Sarma told media persons that he was arrested on suspicion of being a Jihadi.
Rafikul claimed that he had done his doctorate from a university in London and said he was a native of Murshidabad in West Bengal.
Police sources said Rafikul was arrested based on the confession of Burdwan blast accused Sahnur Alom who is currently in police custody.
Meanwhile, Bodo leaders are maintaining their silence on the issue JMB’s planned attack on Bodo community.
The 11 Jihadi, including Sahanur Alom and his wife Sujena Begam and the other five people arrested in Assam after the Burdwan blast are members of JMB and they had received religious education in West Bengal’s Simulia and Mukim Nagar’s madrasa besides training in arms and bomb making.
The remaining six militants were working as JMB link men.
