NEW DELHI, 8 October — News of the United States’ strike against Afghanistan beginning any moment has placed the government on high alert.
Displaying its commitment to US war against terrorism, New Delhi is focusing on its own exercise of targeting “followers” of Osama Bin Laden and militants linked with Pakistan.
In Calcutta, three persons were arrested at Swarupnagar Hakimpur village on Saturday for their alleged link with Bin Laden’s Al-Qaeda group. Two of them were Bangladeshi nationals.
On a tip-off, police raided the house of one Qutubuddin Mandal on Saturday night. Police claims to have seized some documents, notebooks and a diary suggesting the linkage of three, including Mandal with Bin Laden.
The three were produced in the court of a magistrate and remanded to police custody for 15 days. Two members of banned Students Islamic Movement of India (SIMI) were also remanded to police custody by the same magistrate.
Last week, when there was a strong possibility of the US strikes on Afghanistan starting any moment, the government struck down at SIMI for its alleged linkage with Bin Laden. The organization was banned. Though dozens of SIMI members have been arrested, the drive against them is still going on.
Threat of militancy increasing in India, following the US strikes against Taleban militia, has prompted the forces to come down heavily against militants. Six activists of Jammu and Kashmir Islamic Front have been charge-sheeted by Delhi police for allegedly waging war against the country.
The activists, Feroz Ahmad Mir, Muhammad Sayed Tantrik alias Yusuf, Muhammad Manzoor Mir, Muhammad Latif Hajaam, Abdul Rashid Gojri and Inderjit Singh Bali, police claims were planning to revive militant activities within and outside Kashmir. Their arrest, police said, has frustrated their plans.
Reports suggest, it is too early to be satisfied by police having “frustrated” militants’ attempts. This Saturday, 25 persons were killed in separate incidents of violence in Kashmir.
