Don't link Bihar with 13/7 accused: Nitish Kumar

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday reacted strongly to the Maharashtra Police linking Bihar with the terrorists involved in the 13/7 Mumbai serial blasts, saying it was "highly objectionable" to link any state or place with criminals.

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday reacted strongly to the Maharashtra Police linking Bihar with the terrorists involved in the 13/7 Mumbai serial blasts, saying it was "highly objectionable" to link any state or place with criminals.

HT Image

"It is wrong to link Bihar with terrorists involved in the 13/7 blasts in Mumbai. Any place or state has nothing to do with the crimes committed by some people," Nitish Kumar told newspersons on Tuesday.

"In this case Bihar was linked with terrorists involved in 13/7 serial blasts in Mumbai. It is not proper," Kumar said.

He said linking Bihar with terrorists involved in 13/7 serial blasts in Mumbai is to "defame" the state. "It will give a bad name to Bihar despite the fact that the state has no role in crimes committed by some people," he said.

Maharashtra ATS on Monday claimed to have made a major breakthrough in the July 13, 2011, triple blasts that claimed 27 lives, with the arrest of two people hailing from Bihar.

Naqi Ahmed Wasi Ahmed Sheikh (22) and Nadeem Akhtar Ashfaq Sheikh (23), both from Bihar's Darbhanga district, were arrested on Jan 12. The mastermind of the crime Yasin Bhatkal, a top Indian Mujahideen operative, and the planters of the IEDs used in the blasts are still evading arrest, Anti-Terrorism Squad chief Rakesh Maria told reporters.

Maria said while Naqi came to Mumbai in September 2010, Nadeem, his co-villager, from Darbhanga district, was living in Antop Hill area of the city.