A separatist militant group of India has a link with the serial bomb blasts that rocked the country on August 17. This was disclosed by Shahidul Islam and Imdadul Huq, two militants who were recently arrested from Dighinala upazila under Khagrachhari district, sources inside the Joint Interrogation Cell said yesterday.( The Independent )

The arrested militants confessed that they were the activists of Jamayatul Mujahedin (JMB) and Shaikh Abdur Rahman was their leader.

They also said that Abdur Rahman had connection with the leaders of the United liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) whose leader Anup Chetia is now imprisoned in Bangladesh. ULFA has been fighting for independence of Assam, the North-Eastern Indian province for a long time.

Prior to the bombings a group of 50 persons including the arrested two received a month-long military training at Delduar Upazila under Tangail district.

During the training they met Abdur Rahman and Tapan Malitha, leader of the outlawed leftist organisation, Janajuddha.

Meanwhile, the Home Ministry sources said that Shaikh Abdur Rahman left the country following the blasts and now staying in India.

The Home Ministry in a letter issued on Thursday told the Foreign Ministry to request the Indian government to arrest some Bangladeshi terrorists who have taken shelter in India and to extradite them to Bangladesh, sources said.

The ministry in the letter revealed that these terrorists who might have link with the August 17 blasts, were staying in some states of India including Tripura and Meghalaya.