Six Bangladeshis held in TN in terror case, Opposition slams DMK

Tiruppur (Tamil Nadu) (PTI): Six Bangladesh nationals were caught by the Delhi Police in this district for allegedly being part of a terror conspiracy at the behest of Pakistan's ISI and Bangladesh-based extremist organisations, multiple sources said on Sunday.

A police official confirmed that six of them were taken into custody by the Delhi police on Saturday (February 21).

"All six of them have been taken by the Delhi Police team. They (Delhi Police) came and nabbed the six persons. We just provided the custody of the suspects for a night. They (Delhi Police team and the suspects) have already left for the national capital," a senior police official told PTI.

Responding to a query from PTI, highly placed government sources said, "It is alreadly in the news that six of them are from Bangladesh. Police might have received specific inputs and they would have acted accordingly." "... We have to keep a watch. Factory workers particularly those who hail from other places (migrant workers) are supposed to get registered on the government's labour portal before getting employed in a company (based out of Tiruppur)," a senior government official told PTI on conditions of anonymity.

He added that Tiruppur has the highest number of migrant workers, with 2.2 lakh enrolled in the portal.

Asked whether the government would intensify monitoring of migrant workers following the Sunday's development, he replied in the affirmative. "Employers should verify their (workers) identity. We already doing it (verification). It will continue".

The government regularly holds meeting with the Assistant Commissioner of Labour, and Director of Industries Safety on such issues, the official added.

Meanwhile, several political parties sharply criticised the DMK government over the arrest of the six Bangladesh nationals.

Senior BJP leader and Union Minister L Murugan alleged that the law and order situation in Tamil Nadu has deteriorated.

Questioning the DMK government's response, the Union Minister of State in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting asked, "What did the government, which is responsible for maintaining the law and order of Tamil Nadu do until the Delhi police came and made the arrest?" Continuing his tirade, he claimed that there was no evidence to suggest that the state government has taken action to curb terrorist activities.

"The DMK has no concern for the safety of the people. In the upcoming assembly elections, the people of Tamil Nadu will teach a proper lesson to the DMK " he said.

AIADMK General Secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami slammed the current dispensation, asking, "While arrests of terrorists are being carried out by the Central agencies in Tamil Nadu, what was the state government doing?" He questioned the role of the state's Anti-Terrorism Squad when the Delhi police arrested the 6 Bangladesh nationals.

AMMK Chief TTV Dhinakaran also targeted the DMK government, saying he was shocked that the Delhi police had arrested six Bangladesh nationals in Tiruppur and it reflected a failure in ensuring public safety.

"Along with the deterioration of law and order marked by murders, robberies and crime against women over the last five years, the increase in movement of terrorists and their supporters shows that the DMK has failed in public safety," he said in a social media post on Sunday.