Former Supreme Court judge AK Ganguly
Alleging that the Mamata Banerjee government did nothing to unravel the truth behind the October 2 blast in West Bengal, former Supreme Court Judge AK Ganguly said the National Investigation Agency or NIA probe would throw up "uncomfortable" facts for the state's ruling Trinamool Congress.
The explosion at a house in Burdwan district's Khagragarh killed two suspected Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen militants and injured another.
Amid allegations of the Trinamool trying to cover up the probe, the central government October 9 directed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to take over the probe of the incident in which a banned Bangladeshi militant group is suspected to be involved.
"The incident involves the security of the nation and the centre has all the right to direct the NIA to investigate it. There is nothing unconstitutional in this. In fact, the state government which has been opposing the NIA, did nothing to unravel the facts," Justice Ganguly said in Kolkata on the sidelines of a programme.
After the union home ministry suo motu directed the NIA to take over the probe, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accused the Narendra Modi government at the Centre of "interfering in the state's affairs and attacking federalism".
A known critic of the Banerjee government, Justice Ganguly, a former chairperson of the state's rights panel, said the NIA probe will throw up "uncomfortable facts" for the Trinamool.
"The NIA has intensified the probe and made rapid progress. I am sure the probe will throw up facts that will be uncomfortable for the Trinamool," he said.
The CPI-M and the Bharatiya Janata Party too have been attacking the state government, alleging it was destroying crucial evidences to cover its "links with Bangladeshi fundamentalist outfit Jamaat-e-Islami".
Six people, including two women, have been arrested from the state and six others have been arrested in Assam for their alleged role in the conspiracy.