## Political Slugfest Erupts Following Arrest of Rameshwaram Cafe Blast Suspects
The arrest of two key suspects in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case from West Bengal's East Midnapore district has sparked a heated political debate between the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the lead-up to the Lok Sabha elections.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, addressing an election rally in Dinhata, Cooch Behar on April 12, refuted BJP's accusations of Bengal becoming a "safe haven for terrorists" under her leadership. She emphasized that the arrested individuals were not residents of Bengal but were merely hiding within the state. "They were arrested within two hours," Banerjee stated, as reported by NDTV. "The BJP cannot tolerate peace in Bengal."
Banerjee further questioned the safety of other states governed by the BJP, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar.
The arrested individuals, Mussavir Hussain Shazeb and Abdul Matheen Taha, are believed to be key conspirators in the blast. According to NDTV, Taha allegedly handled the logistics, while Shazeb planted the bomb. They were apprehended in Kanthi, a small city in the Purba Medinipur district, approximately 180 km from Kolkata. Notably, Kanthi is a stronghold of BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, a former close associate of Banerjee.
The political slugfest was ignited by a post from BJP's Amit Malviya on X (formerly Twitter) regarding the arrests of Shazeb and Taha. This post was subsequently fact-checked by the West Bengal Police.
In a post on X, the West Bengal Police clarified that, contrary to Malviya's claims, the arrests were made through a joint operation involving the state police and central intelligence agencies. The proactive role of the West Bengal Police was officially acknowledged by the central agencies. The statement further asserted that West Bengal has never been a safe haven for terrorists and that the state police will remain vigilant in maintaining security.
The Rameshwaram Cafe blast resulted in injuries to 10 individuals. The cafe reopened eight days after the incident.