New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) today registered a case to probe the bomb blast in Burdwan in West Bengal in which the role of terror groups is suspected.
The decision was taken after the Centre decided to entrust the investigation to the agency without taking consent of the West Bengal government by invoking a special provision in NIA Act that arms the Centre with powers to initiate NIA probe of terror cases anywhere in the country.
This is the second time since NIA's inception in 2008 that this provision has been used.
Section 6(5) of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008, empowers the Centre to suo motu direct the agency to investigate a Scheduled offence committed anywhere in India.
UPA had invoked this provision for the first time for taking over the investigations in the murder of former RSS pracharak Sunil Joshi from Madhya Pradesh government as his name had surfaced in Malegaon blasts involving right wing terrorists.
The NIA registered a case in the national capital today and will ask West Bengal government to hand over all the evidence collected by its CID department. NIA registered the case under various sections of Indian Penal Code including the provision for waging war against the country, Explosive Substances Act, and various sections of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, a statement of NIA said.
The case pertains to an explosion in a rented house at Khagragarh, on October 2 which led to the death of two persons believed to be members of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh and it is being investigated by NIA Kolkata Branch, it said.
The decision to hand over the case to the NIA was taken by the Centre in view of international ramifications of the case where some nationals from neighbouring Bangladesh were also allegedly involved, official sources said.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin told reporters that India has received a request from Bangladesh seeking information about the case.
The security agencies are tabulating the information and the details will be shared with Dhaka, he said.
