Lucknow encounter: HM Rajnath Singh says threat to security was averted

A possible threat to national security was averted with the killing of the alleged terrorist in Lucknow and arrest of six others, Home Minister Rajnath Singh told the Lok Sabha on Thursday.

In a statement on Tuesday’s blast on Bhopal-Ujjain train in Madhya Pradesh and the subsequent anti-terror operations in that state as well as in Uttar Pradesh, he said NIA will carry out further investigations into the matter.

“Due to the prompt action taken by the police of both the states, a possible threat to national security was successfuly averted,” Singh said.

He said while the Uttar Pradesh police shot dead suspected terrorist Mohammad Saifullah yesterday, six suspects have been arrested by cops in Madhya Pradesh and UP on terror charges.

Saifullah, suspected to be linked with Tuesday’s train blast, was killed yesterday morning in an encounter that lasted for about 12 hours on the outskirts of Lucknow.

The Home Minister showered praise on Saifullah’s father Sartaj who has refused to take the body of his son. Sartaj has said that if his son “could not be loyal to the country, how can he be ours?”

“The government is proud of him and I am sure Parliament too is,” Singh said as members thumped the desks in appreciation.

Giving details of various cases registered following the blast which injured 10 people, he said the Madhya Pradesh police arrested three suspects in Hoshangabad in the state.

Subsequently, the UP cops acted in various parts of the state following information provided by the accused and nabbed three persons, he said.

“The above sequence of events presents an excellent example of coordination amongst state police and central agencies,” Singh added.

The Home Minister informed the House that eight pistols, 630 live cartridges, Rs 1.5 lakh, three mobiles phone, four sim cards, two wireless sets and some foreign currency were recovered from the place where Saifullah lived.

According to UP police, Saifullah belonged to a self-proclaimed group of ISIS supporters.