[Assam] Govt admits police help to 2 ISI detenues

[Pradip Kumar Datta]

Govt admits police help to 2 ISI detenues
By A Staff Reporter
 GUWAHATI, March 2 – Environment and Forest Minister Rockybul Hussain told the State Assembly today that theGovernment had reports that some of the police officers were helping two detained Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agents to make calls to their Bangladeshi contacts. The matter was raised by the opposition legislators in the Assembly today.

A private TV channel exposed the nexus between some of the police officers and some of the jailed ISI agents. Two of the detenues—Akram Malik and Billal Miyan— have been making regular calls to their Bangladeshi contacts from a PCO, said the TV channel in one of its recent reports..

The Minister said that the Ad-hoc Sessions Judge No 3 in the city had allowed the detenues on February 21, 2006 to make phone calls to their homes using jail phones. But the police misinterpreted it and allowed the detenues to make calls to their Bangladeshi contacts from a PCO.

The police officer concerned has been placed under suspension and two enquiries into the case have been ordered. While an Additional Director General of State Police is conducting one enquiry, an Additional District Magistrate is conducting the other enquiry. The Government is committed to punish the guilty, said the Minister. 

Earlier, the House witnessed noisy scenes as the Opposition members sharply reacted to the news report that two agents of the Pakistani Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) managed to make international calls from a PCO while they were taken to the court.

Raising the issue immediately after the question hour, Leader of the Opposition, Brindaban Goswami asked how arrested persons can make calls when they were in police custody. He said that such incidents could pose a serious security threat to the country. 

He also pointed out that one arrested ISI agent recently managed to escape from the Guwahati Medical College Hospital where he was taken for medical check up. He expressed doubts on the sincerity of the Government in dealing with threats to the security of the nation.

At that point, Minister for Environment and Forest, Rockybul Hussain said that the opposition members should not doubt the sincerity of the Government and asserted that the Government would take action on the issue.

Not satisfied with the reply of the Minister, all the Opposition members rose to their feet and demanded a statement from the Government on the issue. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Bharat Chandra Narah said that the Government would soon make a statement on the issue in the House to pacify the Opposition members.

 
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