“North Bihar is the new Azamgarh, says IB”, this headline was used for a report a couple of days back in India’s leading newspaper Times of India (TOI). Similarly, many reports published and telecasted in news channels highlighting the issue including arrest of some suspected persons from districts of North Bihar especially Purnia Division due to its boundary sharing with Nepal. The IB report also reveals that the IM has its hideouts in neighbouring West Bengal state as its shares boundary with Bangladesh.
The revelation of Intelligence Bureau (IB) is an eye-openor and it can be very helpful in crack the terrorist nexus. The report of TOI referring to the IB says last week's arrest of five men from north Bihar in connection with blast probes across the country has turned the terror spotlight upon the region, which has so far been infamous as a smuggling hub between India and Nepal. In police and intelligence circles, the region is being talked about as "another Azamgarh" - the reference being to the east UP hometown of many Indian Mujahideen operatives who allegedly played a role in the 2008 terror strikes.
Going by early leads, sources in the Intelligence Bureau and state security agencies say, IM may have established more than seven sleeper cells in the area. "We have information that IM has established its base amongst youths - some of them even engineers - at Mirganj, Araria and Sitamarhi, in addition to Madhubani and Darbhanga. Often, the youths are lured with hawala money from across the border. Others are indoctrinated with videos of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, with which the Indian state has no connection," a source said.
"The suspects, although they had stayed in cities like Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Malda (West Bengal), had Bihar addresses on their fake passports and other documents. So, it is evident that this module has its home in north Bihar and West Bengal. Police sources say Bihar's location makes it a suitable transit point for terrorists and smugglers from Bangladesh and Nepal, as also Mumbai gangsters. While terrorists can easily cross over to Nepal through the porous border, Bihar's Purnea district which shares borders with two West Bengal districts (Murshidabad and Malda), has also emerged as a transit point between India and Bangladesh.
Sources told TOI the first leads on north Bihar's terror link came in 2005 when two LeT operatives were caught there. Terrorist outfits like LeT, Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami and Hizbul Mujahideen are known to scout religious places and educational institutions in Champaran, Darbhanga, Madhubani, Muzaffarpur, Saharsa and Purnea districts for recruits. Several local youths are allegedly working for the ISI as couriers of arms, ammunition and money. (This part of report is rubbish, from where TOI got this information???, this is questionable)
An another report published in many newspapers on December 7, 2011 says a joint team of security officials, comprising officers of the Delhi and Bihar Police, and their counterparts in central policing outfits, have confirmed the arrest of a seventh Indian Mujahideen activist. Identified as Farooq, the arrested Indian Mujahideen activist was arrested in Bihar's Purnia District on charges of being involved in the April 2010 bomb blast that took place outside Bangalore's Chinnaswamy Stadium. The arrest came a day after a Delhi court placed six suspected Indian Mujahideen operatives in police custody till December 15.
After reading the report of Times of India and other newspapers what can be your stand on the issue? Of course, being a resident of Bihar especially from peace-loving Purnia Division that comprises Araria, Kishanganj, Katihar and Purnia, you would feel little disturbed. And even you can say, the allegations of Intelligence Bureau are baseless, and you would justify the media reports rubbish. I too would condemn the remark of IB to say North Bihar as the new Azamgarh, many like me can’t find the remark in a good taste. In fact, the region of Purnia and its neigbouring divisions including Uttar Dinajpur district of West Bengal are dominated by peace-loving people and having a fair portion of Muslims as well. We can’t deny the findings of IB, but many explanations given by the intelligence agency seems beyond imagination and untrue as well.
However, we can't go against the democratic setup of the country, where the intelligence agencies have a significant place. Of course, they had put extensive effort and did investigations before revealing it to all. We should appreciate the work of Intelligence Bureau and their success to nab the members of Indian Mujahideen. IB has surely saved the country from suffering more blows from terrorists that take the lives of innocents and cause huge loss as well.
Now coming to the point. Do the Central Government, Home Ministry and Intelligence Agencies of the country, have ever jotted down a concrete plan to reduce the infiltration from neighbouring Nepal and Bangladesh. The districts of Kishanganj, Araria, Supaul, Madhubani, Sitamarhi, Purbi Champaran and Paschim Champaran are situated on the border of Nepal. This is well known to all that illegal trafficking is happening from Nepal since decades, then, why the Centre Govt and State Government as well is not taking any step to stop this? The boundary is not well barricaded and one can easy enter into India from Nepal and vice-versa.
If we take the example of Kishanganj in particular, there is one camp of BSF and another camp of SSB (Seema Suraksha Bal), both have their base at district headquarters. Logically, there is much requirement of BSF and SSB on the border area rather than Kishanganj town to stop the infiltration. The SSB constables had also didn’t shy off from shooting the innocent residents of Kishanganj particularly in Thakurganj and Galgalia. Many cases of false encounter had come into notice, in which the SSB had gunned down common people.
The recent instances of arrest of suspected Indian Mujahideen members are the result of infiltration. Just after the serial blasts in Mumbai in July this year, the Police had arrested a common man from neighbouring Uttar Dinajpur and even said that he is one of the main accused and belonging to HUJI. Later on, the man was freed in absence of substantial proof and the claim of Police went wrong.
Hence, at this stage saying about the camp or base of IM in North Bihar is more a tall claim rather than a reality. Even the leading newspapers of India should show some patience and look for facts before using the headlines like ‘North Bihar is new Azamgarh’. The headline is misleading and it would give a wrong impression among the people residing in different parts of the country and world.
Hope the government of Bihar would take the issue seriously and ask Centre and IB for substantial proof before referring any part of the state with a maligned identity. Need of the hour is that, the Centre and Home Ministry in collaboration with Bihar Government and West Bengal Government should find out the ways to stop the infiltration from Nepal and Bangladesh, and smuggled items from China itself. This can be only done, if we make the barricades on the border areas strong and deploy the forces on the border instead of providing them a shelter at the district headquarters like Kishanganj.
Indian Mujahideen, Indian Mujahideen Bihar, Bihar IM Camp, Bihar Terrorist, Bihar Terrorism, IB's Arrest in Bihar, Terrorist Arrest Bihar
Indian Mujahideen, Indian Mujahideen Bihar, Bihar IM Camp, Bihar Terrorist, Bihar Terrorism, IB's Arrest in Bihar, Terrorist Arrest Bihar
