The Tamil Nadu BJP president, K Annamalai, strongly criticised the DMK for downplaying the Coimbatore car bombing outside a temple in October 2022 and framing it as a mere cylinder blast for minority appeasement. He accused the DMK of using media narratives to appease minority sentiments instead of taking decisive action.
However, his comments come a day after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested four persons allegedly responsible for the blasts.
NIA arrests ISIS recruiters
On 6 August 2024, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) pressed charges against four individuals in connection with an Islamic State (IS) radicalisation and recruitment case. This case was uncovered while investigating the 2022 car explosion outside the Sangameswarar Temple in Kottaimedu, Coimbatore.
The defendants, Jameel Basha, Mohammed Hussain, Irshath, and Syed Abdur Rahman, were charged under the Indian Penal Code and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The NIA’s Chennai branch registered the case in August 2023 based on findings from the car explosion probe.
The NIA reported that the accused were involved in recruiting susceptible youth into IS to perpetrate illegal and terrorist activities. They conducted religious indoctrination at an Arabic language centre named Madras Arabic College in Coimbatore, which was later renamed Kovai Arabic College, according to an NIA press release.
Basha, the patron and chief mentor, instructed his former students to set up Arabic language centres at the district level. Hussain and Irshath established the centre in Coimbatore. The release stated that the radicalization of youth took place through social media platforms and classroom sessions, featuring live or pre-recorded sermons by Basha.
The release further mentioned, “The vehicle-borne IED attack outside the temple was part of the violent jihad endorsed by the accused. Jamesha Mubeen (deceased), who had pledged allegiance to Darul-e-Islam/IS, executed the blast as part of IS’s anti-India campaign after being radicalised by Syed Abdur Rahman.“
NIA Chargesheets 4 in Tamil Nadu ISIS Radicalisation & Recruitment Case pic.twitter.com/y5vDBAShKW
— NIA India (@NIA_India) August 7, 2024
BJP slams DMK over vote bank politics
In this context, the Tamil Nadu BJP chief criticized the ruling DMK through his official X account, stating, “The NIA has charged four more radical terrorist elements, a blight on our society, as part of the ongoing investigation into the Coimbatore suicide bombing case in October 2022. The DMK may persist in labelling it a mere cylinder blast, but today, Tamil Nadu is now suffering the consequences of electing a party that has sacrificed the state’s law and order for the sake of petty vote bank politics.”
The NIA has charged four more radical terrorist elements, a blight on our society, as part of the ongoing investigation into the Coimbatore suicide bombing case in October 2022.
The DMK may persist in labelling it a mere cylinder blast, but today, Tamil Nadu is now suffering… pic.twitter.com/8oMB8IoHCd
— K.Annamalai (@annamalai_k) August 6, 2024
The 2022 Coimbatore Bomb Blast Terror Attack
The 2022 Coimbatore Bomb Blast is a terrorist attack where an LPG cylinder burst inside a Maruti 800 car at around 4.30 am on 23 October 2022, causing the vehicle to explode. Jamesha Mubeen drove the vehicle carrying the improvised explosive device. The blast happened outside the famous Kottai Eshwaran Temple.
The explosion was initially believed to be an accident. However, an investigation revealed that the cylinder explosion was a terrorist attack committed by Islamic terrorists during the Diwali festival. Nails and ball bearings supposedly meant for inflicting maximum casualties were also recovered from the spot.
Investigators had recovered handwritten paper documents from Jamesha Mubeen’s house. These documents listed the popular spots in Coimbatore that they had plans to recce or were already done. Chemicals used for making crude bombs were also found at his house.
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