Siliguri, Nov. 28: Chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today blamed “outside forces” for the Belakoba train blast saying the attack was masterminded by a “major terrorist outfit with the help of local conspirators”.

Bhattacharjee, who admitted that critical gaps did exist in the state’s intelligence network, confirmed that the KLO has started regrouping.

“We cannot completely wipe off militancy from the region because of factors like the presence of Ulfa (nearby), which has always acted as a guide to the KLO. Although the first phase of the KLO movement is behind us, the outfit is trying to regroup again,” the chief minister said. “The outside forces are disturbing our initiatives to end the crisis. This blast is an indication of their existence.”

The chief minister has of late been saying that Bangla militant outfits are behind terrorist activities in Bengal. Today, he refused to say what he meant by “outside forces”.

Instead, he added that the devices used in the blast prove that they had been “brought from outside”.