"Centre will order NIA probe into Burdwan blast": State BJP prez Rahul Sinha

Burdwan/Kolkata, Oct 9: Asking why Mamata Banerjee was keeping silent on the Burdwan blast, state BJP president Rahul Sinha today said the Centre would order an NIA probe soon, while a state minister reposed the government's full confidence in the CID investigation.

"The Chief Minister is silent on the Burdwan blast. Why is the Trinamool Congress government not going for NIA investigation into the blast? Because they are afraid that their link with terrorists will come out if the NIA probed the incident," Sinha, who led a procession in Burdwan demanding an NIA probe, said.

He said it would be bad for the state's image if the Centre was forced to order NIA probe as per provisions of the National Investigation Agency Act, 2008.

"The NIA probe will happen, either today or tomorrow," the BJP state party president said. Urging people to raise their voices against terrorism, he said that there was a conspiracy to turn the state into a repository of weapons.

The BJP also took out processions at several places in the state including the metropolis demanding an NIA probe into the incident. State education minister and TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee said, "We have full confidence in the local administration and the police.

We do not find anything wrong for which we require NIA advice on certain things." He said that the NIA officers had come to the blast site at Khagragarh and they had been provided the "information they sought".

To repeated questions why the state government was not for an NIA probe, he said, "We are not opposing. We have faith in the administration. The role of the police is praiseworthy. Since the matter has importance all (agencies of the state government) are looking into it."

He said that the CID had the "experience to handle a case of this nature".

PTI