Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Friday the Trinamool Congress government would extend full cooperation to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) probing the Bardhaman case. Addressing a press conference here, she lashed out at the Bharartiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government at the Centre for not “consulting” the State Government before initiating the NIA probe.
She said: “If something has happened, it should be looked into seriously. A crime is crime. All criminals are the same.”
Ms. Banerjee also said that crime should not be linked to any religion. “Their (criminals) only religion is extremism. We never support it and never will,” she said.
Refuting BJP’s allegation that the AITC government is going soft on infiltration from Bangladesh, Ms. Banerjee said infiltration is a “Central subject” and pointed out that the State police do not guard the borders.
Praising the Bengal police for its performance in probing the Bardhaman blast case, she said: “Even before they (Centre) said anything, the Bengal police slapped the accused with UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Act).
Rubbishing the Opposition’s allegation that the Bengal police were not cooperating with the NIA, she claimed that even the Central investigative agency has acknowledged “total cooperation” on part of the Bengal police. She accused the media of “distorting” her post on a social networking site soon after the Centre initiated the NIA probe into the case.
