Pranab Mukherjee objects blaming Bangladeshis for the recent Jaipur blasts

Kolkata, June 15 : Union External Affairs Minister Pranab Mukherjee on Sunday said he has objection against blaming 'Bangladeshis' for the serial blasts in Jaipur.

Speaking at a seminar here today on 'Terrorism and Justice' the minister said that the generalization by the Rajasthan government against Bangladeshi immigrants in this regard was unacceptable.

"Those who migrated to India from Bangladesh after 1972 had to follow certain rules to get citizenship. I admit there were some who migrated illegally. But that's a problem, which the respective governments have to tackle. But blaming 'Bangladeshis' for the Jaipur blasts, as done by authorities in that state is the sort of generalization I abhor. Just because a terrorist happens to have an Islamic name, terming the whole act as Islamic terrorism, is a wrong sort of generalization. In order to combat terrorism effectively, we need to get out of such kind of mindset," said Mukherjee.

Mukherjee pointed out that post the attack on the World Trade Centre, the term 'Islamic Terrorism' has been used in an irresponsible manner.

He added that the terrorist could belong to any caste, creed, religion, social status or country.

Police probing bombings in Jaipur that killed 63 people had pointed increasingly towards Indian Islamists backed by a Bangladeshi militant group as being behind the blasts.

Nine bombs, all strapped to bicycles, ripped through a crowded shopping area in the popular tourist city of Jaipur.

Investigators said the attack bore hallmarks of the Bangladeshi militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad al Islami (HuJI), suspected to be behind several previous blasts in India.

ANI