Centre palms over probe into bomb assault on Trinamool minister to NIA

The bomb assault on West Bengal minister Jakir Hossain will now be probed by the NIA after the Centre took over the case beneath the NIA Act with out searching for the state authorities’s consent, sources mentioned.
The Trinamool Congress MLA and state labour minister was injured together with 21 others when a bomb exploded at Murshidabad’s Nimtita Railway Station on February 17. He was ready at Platform No. 2 to board a practice to Kolkata, when the IED is suspected to have been triggered.
The NIA has registered a case primarily based on the FIR filed by the Azimganj Government Railway Police beneath Sections 326 (Voluntarily inflicting grievous harm by harmful weapons or means), 307 (try to homicide) and 120B (legal conspiracy) aside from sections of the Explosive Substances Act.

The GRP comes beneath operational management of state governments.
The NIA has not invoked the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). “As of now we have not invoked UAPA as it is merely a re-registration of the West Bengal police FIR. If our investigations show UAPA should be invoked, it will be invoked,” an NIA official mentioned.
The West Bengal CID, which was additionally probing the case, had earlier recovered a cell phone and a circuit from the spot of the blast and even detained and questioned a Bangladeshi nationwide. It is, nonetheless, not clear but who carried out the assault.
Sources mentioned NIA will search particulars of the investigation carried out by the state CID and the supplies recovered by them from the state.
Last week, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar had met Hossain on the hospital. While Dhankhar sought an NIA probe, Banerjee referred to as the blast a conspiracy and alleged a political social gathering was pressuring the minister to hitch it.

State Minister Firhad Hakim had earlier mentioned, “One minister walks towards the platform where bombs were planted. As he reached, suddenly electricity was turned off. An explosion happened and the minister got injured. His supporters were also seriously injured. Why did such an attack take place? Murshidabad has turned into a stronghold of the TMC; hence, some people are trying to create fear. Is this India or Ramgarh of Gabbar Singh?”
Railways had denied the cost of electrical energy being turned off.