The arrest of two key accused in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case from Bengal’s East Midnapore district triggered a predictable political slugfest between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, at an election rally in Dinhata in Bengal’s Cooch Behar on April 12, hit back at BJP’s allegations of the state becoming a “safe haven for terrorists” under her rule. “The men (who were arrested) are not residents of Bengal… they were hiding out here. They were arrested in two hours,” Banerjee said as quoted in a NDTV report. “The BJP cannot stand it if there is peace in Bengal.”
“Is Uttar Pradesh safe? Is Rajasthan safe? Is Bihar safe?” she asked the crowd.
The men arrested this morning – Mussavir Hussain Shazeb and Abdul Matheen Taha – are believed to be key conspirators; Taha allegedly handled the logistics while Shazeb planted the bomb, according to the NDTV report. They were traced to Kanthi, or Contai, a small city 180 km from Kolkata in the Purba Medinipur district.
Kanthi is a stronghold of BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, who was once a close aide of Banerjee.
The slugfest started after a post from BJP’s Amit Malviya on X (formerly Twitter) about Shazeb and Taha’s arrests. His post was fact-checked by Bengal police.
A post on X from the West Bengal Police said “Contrary to Amit Malviya’s claims” the two accused had been arrested after a joint operation involving themselves and central intelligence agencies. The proactive role of West Bengal Police… has been officially acknowledged by the central agencies. West Bengal has NEVER been a safe haven for terrorists and the state police will continue to remain ever-vigilant”.
The Rameshwaram Cafe blast saw 10 people get injured, and outlet reopened eight days after the incident.