The Assam government will hand over cases related to jihadi activities in the state to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). A decision to this effect was taken at a law-and-order review meeting convened by chief minister Tarun Gogoi here today. A government press note issued here quoting official sources said the meeting decided to hand over the cases to the NIA so that the cases could be probed thoroughly as it has international ramification. Gogoi’s decision comes on a day when the NIA announced cash rewards for information on 12 persons wanted in connection with the Burdwan blast case, and one of whom turned out to be from Assam. The NIA has declared a cash reward of Rs 5 lakh for information on Sahanur Alom alias ‘Doctor’, a 33-year old person hailing from village Chatala under Sarthebari police station in Barpeta district. The Assam Police meanwhile has arrested six other persons in connection with the Burdwan blast case. Chief minister Gogoi also directed the officials to take all possible steps against anti-national activities. “We have to take all possible measures to foil the sinister designs of anti-national elements. We will not compromise on national security and national integrity," he said. While the Assam Police had arrested six persons in Barpeta district on October 10 in connection with their links with the two Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) activitists who were killed in a blast in Burdwan (West Bengal) earlier last month, chief minister Gogoi had told prime minister Narendra Modi four days ago that the JMB threat to Assa, was “real and serious.” “Of late Assam appears to have been targeted by fundamentalist organizations like Al Qaeda. Some operatives having links with Jamatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) were recently arrested in Assam. We feel that the threat is real and serious and such organizations may find support among the misguided and disaffected elements in the state,” Gogoi had said in a memorandum he handed over to the prime minister on Wednesday. Taking up the problem of militancy and threat from fundamentalist organizations, Gogoi also made a plea to Modi to take up the matter with neighbouring countries at appropriate levels for sharing of intelligence and coordinated action. "There should be similar mechanism at inter-state level for West Bengal and North Eastern States so that issues of jurisdiction do not come in the way of dealing with insurgency and militancy,” he said. It was, therefore, important that more sophisticated measures were taken to check, contain and curb such organizations and their activities through proper intelligence sharing and surveillance, Gogoi said. The six persons who were arrested by the Assam Police three weeks ago for their alleged connection with the explosion in Khagragarh in Burdwan (West Bengal), are currently in judicial custody. They are – Shaikhul Islam @ Abdullah (20), Rafikul Islam (39), Md. Shiraj Ali Khan (53), Jahuruddin (60), Golam Usmani (23) and Sarbesh Ali (35) – and all hail from three different villages in Barpeta district. Among them, Shaikhul Islam @ Abdulla of Kahikuchi village in Barpeta is said to be an important member of the Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (Party of the Mujahideen) sleeper cell in Assam. Assam Police director-general Khagen Sarma is on record saying the police have information that some youths from Assam were visiting Bangladesh at the instance of the JMB. "We have received information against some youths who have been visiting Bangladesh for getting training under the Islamic terror networks such as the JMB to carry out terror attacks," Sarma said last week. He also said the police have evidence against the six persons arrested in Barpeta and had kept them under surveillance till they were arrested on October 10.
