After the Burdwan Blast

Arindam Sarkar

Six months after the bombs exploded, the Bengal government is still cagey about the Burdwan Blast and the Muslims fear to talk about it. Burdwan Blast that shocked Bengal on October 2, 2014, is still fresh in the minds of the people.

The BJP has alleged that it is the outcome of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Muslim appeasement policy and the Trinamool Congress’ clandestine links with the fundamentalist elements of Bangladesh, who after getting a safe passage and shelter are carrying out undercover activities in Bengal.

Just when the BJP accused the Trinamool Congress for having ties with the Jamaat-e-Islami of Bangladesh for vote politics, the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind in Bengal denounced its Bangla counterpart. The Jamaat-e-Islami Hind condemned the Bangladeshi terrorists for creating communal tension, disturbing the social fabric and polluting the madrasahs of Bengal.

The Burdwan Blast has embarrassed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) found that Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh was behind the explosions. The outfit, which is banned in Bangladesh, was found to have established a deep network in Bengal and other parts of India. Investigation also revealed that many Bangladeshi infiltrators settled in Bengal were in touch with the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami of Bangladesh.

“Although our religion and language is same, but we have nothing to do with the Jamaat-e-Islami of Bangladesh. We work in India. We have no connection with them and we don’t want them to work here,” emphasized General Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Abdur Rafiq.

Speaking on the possible links between the two Jamaat outfits that is working on both sides of the border, Political Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind Masihur Rahman clarified that the Jamaat-e-Islami of India and Bangladesh were two different entities.

Apart from India, the Jamaat-e-Islami also exists in Bangladesh and Pakistan (where they take part in politics), Sri Lanka and Mauritius in the subcontinent. But each of them has independent constitution and programmes.

“It is because of some anti-national elements that the image of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind is being tarnished. But the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind constitution says it is a socio-religious and non-violent organisation of Bengal,” claimed Masihur Rahman.

Jamaat-e-Islami Hind leaders condemned the Burdwan Blast and the use of a madrasah to carry out such a nefarious activity. Jamaat wants the NIA to discover the truth and punish all the people who were behind the blasts. “It is a crime that can never be supported. We want the terrorists to be punished irrespective of their religion or nation. We will work for communal harmony and uplift of the Muslims. We don’t want the Muslims to be involved in wrong doings,” said Abdur Rafiq.

Jamaat leaders, however, insisted that it is wrong to assume that madrasahs were becoming terror factories of Bengal. Agreeing that there has been a huge growth of illegal madrasahs in the State, Abdur Rafiq said it was the responsibility of the State Government to identify and legalise such madrasahs. The government should take action against illegal madrasahs.

“Madrasah is an educational institution. Unnecessarily targeting them is wrong. The government should book the people who are misusing a madrasah but not slam the madrasah as an academy,” said Masihur Rahman.

Abdur Rafiq went on to say that after the Burdwan Blast, a Jamaat delegation had visited the bomb blast site and the Shimulia Madrasah – where the students were given Jihadi training. But he believes that Shimulia at best could be a school for small children because it does not have the logistics of a madrasah and the wherewithal to train Jihadis. “It is a misconception. Shimulia did not look like a madrasah, leave alone a laboratory for Jihadi activists,” said Abdur Rafiq.

 

However, Jamaat leaders agree that for the uplift of the Muslim society the curricula of the madrasah should change. “Only teaching of Arabic won’t help. Students should learn modern science, political science and literature. We have reservations on madrasah teaching, but not its usefulness,” said Abdur Rafiq. “Koran and Hadith could be taught along with modern subjects in a madrasah,” added Masihur Rahman.