Political Slugfest Erupts After Arrest of Rameshwaram Cafe Blast Accused
The arrest of two key accused in the Rameshwaram Cafe blast case from Bengal's East Midnapore district has sparked a 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, Bengal, 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. "The BJP cannot stand it if there is peace in Bengal."
She further questioned the safety of other states governed by the BJP, asking, "Is Uttar Pradesh safe? Is Rajasthan safe? Is Bihar safe?"
The arrested men, Mussavir Hussain Shazeb and Abdul Matheen Taha, are believed to be key conspirators. Taha allegedly handled the logistics while Shazeb planted the bomb. They were traced to Kanthi, a stronghold of BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, who was once a close aide of Banerjee.
The political slugfest began after a post from BJP's Amit Malviya on social media about Shazeb and Taha's arrests. His post was fact-checked by Bengal police, who clarified that the arrests were made after a joint operation involving themselves and central intelligence agencies. They further emphasized that West Bengal has never been a safe haven for terrorists and the state police will continue to remain vigilant.
The Rameshwaram Cafe blast injured 10 people. The outlet reopened eight days after the incident.