Dhaka has sought information from New Delhi on the blast incident of October 2 when two suspected radical Islamists were killed in the West Bengal district of Bardhaman.
An official communication, popularly known as note verbale, was sent to India through its mission in Bangladesh on Tuesday seeking the information.
“We sought information voluntarily from the Indian side about the incident on whether they need our assistance, no matter if any Bangladeshi is involved or not,” State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam told journalists on Tuesday.
The government earlier contacted with the Bangladesh mission to Delhi and the Indian mission to Dhaka but they did not have any information, he said.
The explosion took place on October 2 at a house in Khagragarh in Bardhaman when two persons – Shakil Ahmed and Sovon Mondol – died on the spot.
The Hindu reports that the four people arrested over the incident – Abdul Hakim, Hashem Molla, Gulsana Bibi and Alima Bibi – were charged yesterday under different sections including for waging war against the Indian government.
Shakeel had allegedly crossed over from Bangladesh in 2009. He had earlier rented a house in Beldanga in Murshidabad and only a few months ago rented the one in Khagragarh in Bardhaman, where the explosion occurred, the Indian newspaper reported.
Dhaka asked for information because it was primarily assumed that one or more of those involved might be Bangladeshi citizens and they were identified as JMB members, Shahriar said.
“We are committed that terrorism will not be tolerated. If the Indian government asks for any help, Bangladesh is ready to provide it,” he said.
The junior minister also said the news regarding closing of Bangladesh-India border is false. “The border is open.”
Asked if such terrorist activities were committed to destabilise Bangladesh, he said: “This issue is so sensitive that we do not want to make any comment for the sake of investigation.”
In the last two months, Saradha scam was unearthed under which an Indian politician funded Jamaat-e-Islami’s Bangladesh chapter to create instability in Bangladesh.
The junior minister said Jamaat and the BNP had patronised terrorism and continue to do so. “Everybody knows about Bangla bhai who was directly patronised by the administration during the BNP-Jamaat-led government in 2001-06.”
Bangladesh has taken strong position on terrorism and it is not expected that its enemies would become inactive.
“It is expected that they would resort to different strategies and new mode of operational procedure. The law enforcement agencies are taking action against them and will take in the future,” he said.
No dossier or document was handed over to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met him on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly last month.
The minister termed the media reports “creative and speculative.”
The Indian media made several reports that Hasina handed over a dossier expressing Bangladesh’s concern over the Saradha scam.
