NSA visits Burdwan blast site

Concerned over the turn of events in West Bengal following the October 2 blast at Burdwan, heads of the country’s security and intelligence community landed in Kolkata on Monday to take stock of the situation. 

The agencies are also looking at formulating a concerted strategy in cohesion with the state government, sources said.

The day witnessed a series of meetings between National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval and Special Secretary (Internal Security) Prakash Mishra with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to pledge cooperation in fighting terror. 

Doval, accompanied by National Investigation Agency (NIA) chief Sharad Kumar, National Security Guard chief Jayanta Narayan Chowdhury, Intelligence Bureau Director Asif Ibrahim, also visited the blast site at Khagragarh in Burdwan. While Doval held a meeting with Banerjee, Mishra met Chief Secretary Sanjay Mitra and state Home Secretary Basudeb Bandopadhyay. 

Doval told reporters: “We want the state to give a professional touch in the current probe being carried out by the NIA. The Centre has taken a serious note of Burdwan blast incident.” 

A Home Ministry spokesperson pointed out that Banerjee has assured all cooperation to the Centre to fight terrorism. Mishra, who addressed a press conference at the secretariat, said: “Burdwan blast is a terror issue. This case will be taken to its logical end.”

The NIA concluded after its probe that Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh has been using Bengal as a training ground for its operatives to carry out operations in both India and Bangladesh.