File photo: Bihar BJP chief Sushil Kumar Modi with Chief Minister Nitish Kumar
New Delhi:
It has been more than two days since alleged Indian Mujahideen co-founder, Yasin Bhatkal, was arrested, but the politics over the big catch shows no signs of stopping. Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal United and its former ally, the BJP, have been exchanging barbs, and now the Samajwadi Party has questioned the motive behind the arrest.
"If he was arrested because he is a Muslim, then that needs to be looked at. We should not send out this kind of a message to any community," Samajwadi Party leader Kamal Faruqui said yesterday.
Bhatkal, one of India's most-wanted men, was arrested on Wednesday night on the porous Indo-Nepal border in a joint operation between officials from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Bihar Police. He was flown to Delhi yesterday and will spend the next 12 days in the custody of the NIA.
The BJP had accused the Bihar government - from which it was forced out recently - of a weak role in the arrest of Bhatkal.
"The Bihar government wanted the arrest be shown in Uttar Pradesh or some other state. There should not be a soft corner for people involved in terror activities. He (Yasin Bhatkal) should have been interrogated. The Chief Minister has to answer on this. Bihar is becoming a centre for refuge of terrorists," BJP's Sushil Kumar Modi, who was Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister, till the alliance with the Janata Dal United broke in June.
The BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Issue needs to be properly investigated by the Bihar Police. Lest an impression may not go that for vote bank politics even terrorism has been compromised."
The Bihar government has denied these charges, hitting back at its former ally.
"We had never imagined that BJP would stoop so low in their comments. Their remark is unfortunate," said the JDU's KC Tyagi.
Bihar's top police officer, Abhayanand, has also denied the BJP's accusations and said that because there was no arrest warrant issued earlier for Bhatkal in the state, there was no question of seeking his custody.
He also pointed out that the probe of the terror attack at Bodh Gaya is being handled by the National Investigation Agency.
"If he was arrested because he is a Muslim, then that needs to be looked at. We should not send out this kind of a message to any community," Samajwadi Party leader Kamal Faruqui said yesterday.
Bhatkal, one of India's most-wanted men, was arrested on Wednesday night on the porous Indo-Nepal border in a joint operation between officials from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and the Bihar Police. He was flown to Delhi yesterday and will spend the next 12 days in the custody of the NIA.
The BJP had accused the Bihar government - from which it was forced out recently - of a weak role in the arrest of Bhatkal.
"The Bihar government wanted the arrest be shown in Uttar Pradesh or some other state. There should not be a soft corner for people involved in terror activities. He (Yasin Bhatkal) should have been interrogated. The Chief Minister has to answer on this. Bihar is becoming a centre for refuge of terrorists," BJP's Sushil Kumar Modi, who was Bihar's Deputy Chief Minister, till the alliance with the Janata Dal United broke in June.
The BJP's Ravi Shankar Prasad said, "Issue needs to be properly investigated by the Bihar Police. Lest an impression may not go that for vote bank politics even terrorism has been compromised."
The Bihar government has denied these charges, hitting back at its former ally.
"We had never imagined that BJP would stoop so low in their comments. Their remark is unfortunate," said the JDU's KC Tyagi.
Bihar's top police officer, Abhayanand, has also denied the BJP's accusations and said that because there was no arrest warrant issued earlier for Bhatkal in the state, there was no question of seeking his custody.
He also pointed out that the probe of the terror attack at Bodh Gaya is being handled by the National Investigation Agency.
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