Kerala questions NIA taking over terror cases in state

NEW DELHI - Kerala Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishnan Sunday questioned the National Investigation Agency’s (NIA) reported decision to take over two terror cases in the state.

“The state government was not consulted either by the central government or by the NIA before the taking over of the two cases - bus burning case of 2005 and terror recruiting case,” said Balakrishnan, who was in the national capital to attend the two-day politburo meeting of the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M).

He said the state government has information only through the media that the NIA has taken over the cases.

People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chief Abdul Nazir Maudany’s wife Sufiya is the 10th accused in the bus burning case. The first accused in the case is south India chief of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) T. Nazeer, who is now in custody of Bangalore police.

The terror recruiting case was busted after the Indian security forces gunned down five infiltrators in Jammu and Kashmir last year while they were trying to sneak out to Pakistan through the Line of Control.

During investigation by the state police’s Special Investigation Team, it was found that a terror brigade of 185 Malayalis was selected by the LeT and provided preliminary training at camps conducted in Kannur and Ernakulam districts.

“On what basis the NIA took over the cases in which chargesheets have been filed by the state investigative agency? Why it is being re-investigated,” Balakrishnan asked.

Contending that such interference by the central agencies would hurt the federal system of the country, Balakrishnan said the state government would examine the legal aspect of NIA’s decision.

“Don’t put state government in dark,” Balakrishnan said.

The NIA was formed by the Indian government in the aftermath of the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai and has the powers to investigate terror-related offences across the country.