NSA, other top officials to visit Burdwan tomorrow

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will visit Burdwan on Monday along with top officials from the home ministry, Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing and the National Investigation Agency, which is probing the October 2 blasts.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval will visit Burdwan on Monday along with top officials from the home ministry, Intelligence Bureau, Research and Analysis Wing and the National Investigation Agency, which is probing the October 2 blasts.

“Doval is going with special secretary (internal security) Prakash Mishra to Burdwan to assess the situation on the ground. The team will have representatives from the IB, R&AW and the NIA. NIA chief Sharad Kumar, who visited Burdwan to take stock of the probe, may also be part of the team,” said a senior home ministry official requesting anonymity.

Doval’s visit is likely to raise the political temperature in West Bengal as the Burdwan probe has already resulted in a slugfest between the Mamata Banerjee government and centre.

Union home ministry had transferred the case to the NIA with the consent of the Mamata government on October 11. The ruling Trinamool Congress in the state has alleged that Doval is being sent to Burdwan cover up the failure of the central intelligence agencies in Bengal. “What was the IB doing for so long? The case in Burdwan is not a law and order problem. The IB should have kept information about the terrorists. These incidents may take place in other states too,” said Kalyan Banerjee, the TMC Lok Sabha MP.

An accidental blast in a house at Khagragarh village of Burdwan on October 2 resulted in the killing of two suspected members of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh — a proscribed outfit.

So far, four people have been arrested and the NIA is has concluded that the IEDs recovered from suspects were meant to be transported to Bangladesh.