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Saturday, May 17, 2008
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Rajasthan begins crackdown on Bangladeshis staying illegally

Special Correspondent

Collectors instructed to verify migrant population in their districts

JAIPUR: Following the Jaipur blasts, the Rajasthan government on Friday began a crackdown on people of Bangladeshi origin staying illegally in the State.

As many as 40 people of suspected Bangladeshi origin with alleged criminal backgrounds were taken into custody for questioning. Collectors were instructed to verify the migrant population in their districts for “foreigners staying illegally.”

“The Collectors have been asked to identify the persons staying illegally in their areas and report in the next 30 days. They have been asked to verify the voter list, ration cards and other documents to check if Bangladeshi nationals have managed to legalise their presence in the country,” Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra Singh Rathore told the media.

“We have come to know that many Bangladeshi nationals, claiming to be original residents of Cooch Behar and other places in West Bengal, are staying in many districts of Rajasthan.”

In Jaipur, the Bangladeshi population had increased to 10,000 from 2,500 recorded in a 2004 survey, he said.

“National problem”

“In fact, Bangladeshi infiltration is a national problem. The State government has spoken to the Special Secretary (Home) with the Union government in this regard.”

Meanwhile, the police are waiting for responses to the sketches of four suspects released in connection with Tuesday’s serial blasts in the Walled City. They were not in a position to comment on the veracity of the video clip, sent from Sahibabad in Uttar Pradesh to a media office by the “Indian Mujahideen” claiming responsibility for the blasts.

18 persons in custody

The police say they have taken into custody 18 persons for questioning. Senior police officials, however, scotched rumours on questioning of Shamim in connection with the Jaipur blasts. Now in Sikar district, he was interrogated in connection with the Ajmer Dargah blast in October 2007.

The police officials also overruled any link between the blasts and a car with Delhi registration found parked in the Jaipur railway station compound.

Speculation continues

However, speculation on the claim by the “Indian Mujahideen” continued with the investigating agencies and the State police probing this aspect further.

On Thursday, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje expressed doubts over the genuineness of the clip. “We are investigating the video clip and other aspects as well for any possible link,” said Deputy Inspector-General Sourabh Srivastava.

A senior police official told The Hindu that the frame number of the cycle in the clip (129489), presumably taken before the blasts, tallied with that of the mangled cycle found outside the Kothwali police station after the explosions.

Mr. Srivastava said the FSL reports on the bombs were yet to come, while the bags used by the terrorists to keep the bombs on cycles were being examined.

He said a report that the one of the suspects, whose sketch was released on Wednesday, was seen with a woman in Udaipur two days prior to the blasts, was also being looked into.

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