Dotted with lush green fields, ponds and bamboo groves, Gacha is a deceptively idyllic village of North 24 Parganas district of Bengal. Located on the Bangladesh border, about 75km from Kolkata, it is now under the scanner of security forces since some Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT) elements took shelter here before their arrest from Kolkata on November 21. Porous borders, similarity with local population in language, dress, food habits, practices and linkmen create a matrix that offers a safe haven to these elements in Bengal. But a large section among them are criminals or terrorists,” BJP Bengal general secretary Sayantan Basu said. They carried on indoctrination in madrasas, imparted training in weapons, made IEDs at rented houses and took them back to Bangladesh.

Source: Hindustan Times December 02, 2017 15:00 UTC