Javed Munshi, a suspected member of outlawed ‘Tehreek-ul-Mujahideen’ terror outfit in Kashmir, leaves after being produced before Alipore Police Court following his arrest near Indo-Bangladesh border in South 24 Parganas dist, in Kolkata on December 22, 2024.
| Photo Credit: ANI

The arrest of a suspected member of a terror outfit in West Bengal on Sunday (December 22, 2024) once again triggered the debate about whether the State is turning out to be a safe haven for extremist elements.

On Sunday (December 22, 2024), a suspected member of the outlawed Tehreek-e-Mujahideen in Kashmir was arrested in a joint operation by the Jammu and Kashmir Police and the West Bengal Special Task Force at Canning in South 24 Parganas.

Javed Munshi, the alleged operative, was produced before a court in Kolkata’s Alipore that sent him on a transit remand till December 31.

The development comes days after the West Bengal Police arrested two suspected operatives of Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) from Murshidabad. Those arrested were identified as Minarul Sheikh (48), a pump mechanic, and Md. Abbas Ali (29), who was trying to set up a small education centre for children. These arrests were part of a joint operation by the Assam Police where eight operatives of the ABT were held. All those arrested have been produced before a court in Assam.

The arrests led to a war of words between the ruling Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the law and order situation in the State and the infiltration through the India-Bangladesh border.

Kolkata Mayor and senior Trinamool leader Firhad Hakim said the arrests were made by the West Bengal Police under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership and there is zero tolerance against extremists. “It is the duty of the Home Ministry to ensure that the BSF is strengthened so there is no trespassing at the borders,” Mr. Hakim said.

State BJP president Sukanata Majumdar said the Centre was willing to take all responsibility of the border provided that the State government allocates the land required for erecting border fences.

BJP leader Amit Malviya alleged that the arrested ABT operatives held voter ID cards of two separate constituencies — Kandi and Hariharpara in Murshidabad.

“This incident is just the tip of the iceberg. Illegal infiltrators obtaining voting rights have become a significant part of the TMC’s voter base, enabling their continued grip on power,” Mr. Malviya posted on social media.

The arrests and the political blame game come at a time when developments in Bangladesh have raised political temperatures in West Bengal. The alleged attacks on minorities in Bangladesh have given the BJP and other Hindutva organisations an opportunity to organise sustained protests in different parts of the State.