Dhaka, Jan 22
The Bangladesh government has said it was not aware of the suspected
role of the Indian insurgent group United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA)
in the grenade attack on Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina's rally in
August 2004.
"I am not aware of it... If India conveys the matter officially,
Bangladesh will look into it," acting Foreign Secretary Touhid
Hossain said, as the caretaker government got into the act of
"gathering information" from various departments about the
allegation.
Hossain repeated Dhaka's known stand that there are no Indian
insurgents living or operating on Bangladesh soil.
The controversy, with clear political overtones, now confronting the
South Asian neighbours that share a porous, volatile border has
become "deeper" and "more intriguing", media reports in Dhaka said
on Monday.
The reports noted that there was no word from the office of the
chief advisor of the non-party government that is governing
Bangladesh. The accusing finger, even by the Awami League leaders,
has all along been against radical Islamist groups, allegedly
patronised by the then government of Khaleda Zia.
There are differing opinions about the role of ULFA among the
officials who served in key positions at that time.
Home Secretary Abdul Karim said he had sought information from the
intelligence agencies and the foreign office. "We will decide what
to do after we get the information," he told reporters.
BDNews24.com, a Bangladeshi website and news agency, Sunday quoted
Khagen Sarmah, Special Branch chief of Assam Police as claiming that
ULFA commander Pallav Saikia, nabbed on Dec 19, had confessed to
having led a group of 11 fighters in exploding grenades at a rally
Sheikh Hasina was addressing.
Saikia said he was doing that on instructions from ULFA's military
chief Paresh Barua, who India alleges is living and operating from
Dhaka.
Saikia also said that intelligence officials of the then government
had assisted his operation, providing transport and grenades.
While Hasina escaped unhurt in the rally on Aug 21, 2004, 23 people,
including senior Awami League leader Ivy Rahman, died and scores
were injured.
ULFA chief Arabindas Rajkhowa has denied the charge.
The Daily Star newspaper attached "utmost significance" to a report
that former National Security Intelligence (NSI) chief Major General
Rezakul Haider Chowdhury assisted ULFA cadres in carrying out the
attack and Jama'atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) later in explosions
across the country a year later.
The official was transferred and then dismissed from service earlier
this month.
Awami League leaders have demanded a fresh inquiry, demanding that
former prime minister Zia, her politician son Tareq and other
leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) be interrogated.
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