For most of its independent history, India has been the one complaining about its neighbours allowing terrorists to operate with impunity. This was always most egregious in Kashmir, of course, but over the past few decade New Delhi has frequently complained about terror and militancy being financed and fostered on the eastern border in Bangladesh.
The National Investigation Agency’s revelation that those behind an accidental bomb blast on October 2 in Burdwan, West Bengal, which killed two alleged Bangladeshi militants, were planning to go after Dhaka, not India, was significant. To some, it might have come as a relief, since it meant that Indians were not the target of what seemed a fairly organised terror operation, but it also meant that India ‒ or at least West Bengal ‒ appears to have become safe haven for those hoping to attack Bangladesh rather than the other way around.
As recently as September, the joint statement of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission, the main bilateral forum between the two, the only question of security raised was that of militancy coming from Bangladesh into India. “The Indian minister expressed India’s appreciation for the cooperation extended by Bangladesh in security-related matters, and welcomed Bangladesh’s assurance that its soil will not be allowed to be used for terrorism against any country, particularly India,” the statement read.
Burdwan blast
Most security analyses of issues between the two countries focus on this problem, with illegal immigration from Bangladesh and the use of its territory as a safe haven being seen as the major concerns.
The blast in Burdwan appears to have upended this conventional wisdom, at least for lay people unfamiliar with what is happening on the border. According to a statement by the NIA, the blast took place when two alleged Bangladesh residents were attempting to make bombs. Both were killed in the process.
“Investigation so far has revealed that the accused persons and their associates were the members of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, a terrorist organisation proscribed in Bangladesh and they were preparing Improvised Explosive Devices which were being transported to Bangladesh,” the agency said in a release.
Although most analyses of the Indo-Bangladesh border issues also focus on the threats faced by India, the security establishment has begun to notice the danger posed in the other direction. The Crisis Group Asia report in 2010 said that as early as 2002, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh had begun smuggling arms from West Bengal’s Maldah district into Bangladesh although it claimed the “identity and nature of their collaborators on the Indian side, however, remains unclear”.
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh
A decade later, by 2012, this was a much more solid base of operations for the group. “The Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh has now expanded its operations within India and the outfit has a significant presence in West Bengal especially in districts bordering Bangladesh,” wrote Anand Kumar, an associate fellow for the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis in 2012. “JMB has established three cells in the Malda, Nadia and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal with 100 full time operatives. These cells are being used to smuggle explosives and weapons into Bangladesh.”
Bangladeshi human right activist Shahriar Kabir, speaking in Dhaka earlier this month, spelled out the concerns. "The most alarming news that appears to us that now India has become a safe haven for the Islamic militancy and the home ground for Islamic militancy like Indian Mujahideen; they have also joined hands with Jamaat-e-Islami of Bangladesh and Pakistan,” Kabir said at a seminar on international terrorism. “It is alarming not only for the national security of Bangladesh but also for the regional security of South Asia.”
The presence particularly of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh is significant, because the terror outfit has been facing serious heat in the country where it was founded. A report by the Institute for Conflict Management earlier this year pointed out that the group had been successful in carrying out bombings and was taken seriously when it threatened to kill Bangladesh’s Prime Minister. But its actual activities had slowed down in the last few years, particularly after a government crackdown beginning in 2006 and the execution of four members in 2007 for their role in widespread bombings in 2005.
“The long hiatus in activities was, most likely, primarily due to intensive security measures undertaken by the Security Forces,” said the report, featuring data until March 2014. “According to partial data, since 2005, a total of 521 JMB terrorists have been arrested from across Bangladesh in 260 incidents.”
Safe haven
The same circumstances that earlier made it easy for Bangladeshis to cross over into India also apply in reverse, particularly the long, porous border between the two countries. As a result, with the Sheikh Hasina government cracking down on Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, alleged terrorists have started to turn up in West Bengal.
“The crackdown separated the committed JMB cadres from those less inclined to take part in jihad,” wrote the Crisis Group in an assessment. “Several ehsars (members), including senior trainers, left for jobs in the Middle East or fled to India.” The Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, in fact, has used its expertise in trafficking across the border to help facilitate a Lashkar-e-Tayyeba-led counterfeiting ring across South Asia, the report also said.
According to some, this has been furthered by a political situation in West Bengal that requires the government to tread lightly when it comes to Muslims in the state. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee fought to keep the blast inquiry away from the Centre, although it was handed over to the NIA. A key aide of the chief minister was quoted as having told Muslims not to allow investigators to enter madrasas.
This image of West Bengal as a hub of terror that could be used to destabilise Bangladesh was serious enough that the Centre felt the need to send the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to the site of the Burdwan blast and promise that action will have to be taken to crack down on terror in the state.
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The National Investigation Agency’s revelation that those behind an accidental bomb blast on October 2 in Burdwan, West Bengal, which killed two alleged Bangladeshi militants, were planning to go after Dhaka, not India, was significant. To some, it might have come as a relief, since it meant that Indians were not the target of what seemed a fairly organised terror operation, but it also meant that India ‒ or at least West Bengal ‒ appears to have become safe haven for those hoping to attack Bangladesh rather than the other way around.
As recently as September, the joint statement of the India-Bangladesh Joint Consultative Commission, the main bilateral forum between the two, the only question of security raised was that of militancy coming from Bangladesh into India. “The Indian minister expressed India’s appreciation for the cooperation extended by Bangladesh in security-related matters, and welcomed Bangladesh’s assurance that its soil will not be allowed to be used for terrorism against any country, particularly India,” the statement read.
Burdwan blast
Most security analyses of issues between the two countries focus on this problem, with illegal immigration from Bangladesh and the use of its territory as a safe haven being seen as the major concerns.
The blast in Burdwan appears to have upended this conventional wisdom, at least for lay people unfamiliar with what is happening on the border. According to a statement by the NIA, the blast took place when two alleged Bangladesh residents were attempting to make bombs. Both were killed in the process.
“Investigation so far has revealed that the accused persons and their associates were the members of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, a terrorist organisation proscribed in Bangladesh and they were preparing Improvised Explosive Devices which were being transported to Bangladesh,” the agency said in a release.
Although most analyses of the Indo-Bangladesh border issues also focus on the threats faced by India, the security establishment has begun to notice the danger posed in the other direction. The Crisis Group Asia report in 2010 said that as early as 2002, Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh had begun smuggling arms from West Bengal’s Maldah district into Bangladesh although it claimed the “identity and nature of their collaborators on the Indian side, however, remains unclear”.
Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh
A decade later, by 2012, this was a much more solid base of operations for the group. “The Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh has now expanded its operations within India and the outfit has a significant presence in West Bengal especially in districts bordering Bangladesh,” wrote Anand Kumar, an associate fellow for the Institute of Defence Studies and Analysis in 2012. “JMB has established three cells in the Malda, Nadia and Murshidabad districts of West Bengal with 100 full time operatives. These cells are being used to smuggle explosives and weapons into Bangladesh.”
Bangladeshi human right activist Shahriar Kabir, speaking in Dhaka earlier this month, spelled out the concerns. "The most alarming news that appears to us that now India has become a safe haven for the Islamic militancy and the home ground for Islamic militancy like Indian Mujahideen; they have also joined hands with Jamaat-e-Islami of Bangladesh and Pakistan,” Kabir said at a seminar on international terrorism. “It is alarming not only for the national security of Bangladesh but also for the regional security of South Asia.”
The presence particularly of the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh is significant, because the terror outfit has been facing serious heat in the country where it was founded. A report by the Institute for Conflict Management earlier this year pointed out that the group had been successful in carrying out bombings and was taken seriously when it threatened to kill Bangladesh’s Prime Minister. But its actual activities had slowed down in the last few years, particularly after a government crackdown beginning in 2006 and the execution of four members in 2007 for their role in widespread bombings in 2005.
“The long hiatus in activities was, most likely, primarily due to intensive security measures undertaken by the Security Forces,” said the report, featuring data until March 2014. “According to partial data, since 2005, a total of 521 JMB terrorists have been arrested from across Bangladesh in 260 incidents.”
Safe haven
The same circumstances that earlier made it easy for Bangladeshis to cross over into India also apply in reverse, particularly the long, porous border between the two countries. As a result, with the Sheikh Hasina government cracking down on Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, alleged terrorists have started to turn up in West Bengal.
“The crackdown separated the committed JMB cadres from those less inclined to take part in jihad,” wrote the Crisis Group in an assessment. “Several ehsars (members), including senior trainers, left for jobs in the Middle East or fled to India.” The Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh, in fact, has used its expertise in trafficking across the border to help facilitate a Lashkar-e-Tayyeba-led counterfeiting ring across South Asia, the report also said.
According to some, this has been furthered by a political situation in West Bengal that requires the government to tread lightly when it comes to Muslims in the state. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee fought to keep the blast inquiry away from the Centre, although it was handed over to the NIA. A key aide of the chief minister was quoted as having told Muslims not to allow investigators to enter madrasas.
This image of West Bengal as a hub of terror that could be used to destabilise Bangladesh was serious enough that the Centre felt the need to send the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to the site of the Burdwan blast and promise that action will have to be taken to crack down on terror in the state.