More police posts to check ISI in Bengal

The major portion of the budgetary allocation for the state home department for 1999-2000 would be spent for bifurcation and expansion of police stations, particularly in border districts, the spokesman said.

He said the state government had already decided to create at least seven new police stations in Nadia, Darjeeling, Jalpaiguri, Cooch Behar and Murshidabad districts.

Nadia, Murshidabad and Darjeeling districts have long borders with Bangladesh, while Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar have borders with both Bangladeshand Bhutan.

He said the ISI, which had bases in Nepal and Bangladesh, had been using the Siliguri corridor, Nadia and Murshidabad districts for their clandestine activities, while the ULFA and the Bodo militants had been frequenting the corridors of Jalpaiguri and Cooch Behar for carrying out their operations in Assam from their hideouts in Bhutan.

The spokesman said the state government had got ample proof of Pakistan intelligence activities in the state following the recent arrests of some ISI agents here and in Siliguri.

He said some of these agents had links with Afghan mercenaries and even international terrorists like Bin Laden. The main job of these agents was to recruit Muslim youths from the state and arrange for their training in explosives in Bangladesh.

“It is now clear from the interrogations of these agents that the ISI has been maintaining a close link with some Muslim fundamentalist groups in Bangladesh. These fundamentalist groups are not only arranging for the training of therecruits but also providing them with explosives,” he said.

The spokesman said one of these agents had also divulged the terrorists’ plan to attack the US consulates here and in Chennai. The agent, who was handed over to the subsidiary intelligence bureau, had been brought back to the state for trial, he said.

He, however, denied a report that the agent was released by police after his arrest here and was later rearrested recently in New Delhi railway station with possession of RDX.

The spokesman said the Union Home Ministry had already directed the Central intelligence agencies to coordinate among themselves and help the state in curbing ISI activities.

The state government first came to know about major ISI plans for the state and the North-East following the arrest of ULFA vice-president Pradip Gogoi. The arrest of four youths from Lalgola in Murshidabad district by Delhi police in connection with a couple of blasts in Delhi last year had also provided some vital information.

The spokesman saidthe state government had also attached much importance to strengthen the intelligence network in the border districts in view of the growing ISI activities and infiltration from Bangladesh.

“One of the purposes of setting up more police stations in the border districts was also to check infiltration from across the border,” he said.

The state government had expressed concern over growing infiltration from Bangladesh and Chief Minister Jyoti Basu took up the issue with Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during her recent visit to the state.