Soon after the two accused in Bengaluru’s Rameshwaram cafe blast case were arrested from West Bengal on Friday, the Bharatiya Janata Party was quick to jump the guns at the ruling Trinamool Congress with claims that the state, under Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has turned into a safe haven for terrorists.
But it wasn’t just the BJP who had something to say about it! Both the TMC and the West Bengal Police reacted almost immediately to the saffron party’s claims.
Mamata, addressing a 2024 Lok Sabha election rally in Cooch Behar, slammed the BJP for “propaganda” and said the two accused were Bengal natives and had just “hid in Bengal for two hours”.
“They [BJP] have a propaganda specialist. The blast took place in Bengaluru. Even the accused persons hail from Karnataka. They are not from Bengal. They hid in Bengal for two hours and our police apprehended them in two hours,” she said.
While the West Bengal Police said that the accused were arrested with help of the state police, the TMC, referring to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, said every one “knows which family and BJP’s main leader runs illegal activities from Contai”, the place where the two accused were arrested.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), BJP’s co-incharge in West Bengal Amit Malviya wrote: “NIA detains two chief suspects in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast, bomber Mussavir Hussain Shazib and accomplice Abdul Matheen Ahmed Taahaa, from Kolkata. Both likely belong to ISIS cell in Shivamogga, Karnataka. West Bengal, unfortunately, under Mamata Banerjee, has become a safe haven for terrorists.”
Within minutes, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh countered his claims by congratulating the West Bengal Police for helping the NIA arrest the accused while also highlighting that the arrests were made from Contai/Kanthi , the stronghold of Adhikari and his family.
“Well done @WBPolice in connection with the Bengaluru-cafe blast arrest. Even @NIA_India has acknowledged it in their statements. Any anti-forces should be strictly dealt with. But let me ask to @BJP4India and their minions – where is this arrests made from? KANTHI. We all know which family and BJP’s main leader runs illegal activities from Contai,” Ghosh posted on X.
Ghosh requested the state agencies to investigative into Adhikari “family’s alleged role in the incident.”
The West Bengal Police also termed BJP’s claims as “lies” and “cheap trolls”.
“WEST BENGAL POLICE EXPOSES LIES OF BJP & THEIR CHEAP TROLLS. Falsehood at its worst! Contrary to the claims made by @amitmalviya, the fact is that, two suspects in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case have been arrested from Purba Medinipur in a JOINT operation by the West Bengal Police and the Central Intelligence Agencies. The proactive role of WBP in the matter has been officially acknowledged by the Central Agencies,” West Bengal Police said.
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Published: 12 Apr 2024, 02:31 PM IST
