Shillong: Terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden has been funding 'jihadi' training for raising suicide squads from among 25,000 youths, including many from the North East in Bangladeshi madrasas, according to senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Purno A Sangma.

At least 421 madrasas in the neighbouring country were training youths for the creation of suicide squads with funds given by the al-Qaida chief, Sangma, who is the vice president of the South East Asian Forum against Fundamentalism based in Dhaka, told reporters on September 25 evening, quoting an "authentic" report in his possession.

The South East Asian Forum, which has Prof Kavir of Bangladesh as president and members from South Asian countries, including Pakistan, preached tolerance and secularism.

"If we cannot see this sitting next to the country, what are we here for?" Sangma asked quoting from the report, which, he said was published six months ago with the situation being still very relevant.

Sangma, a former Lok Sabha Speaker, also claimed that the number of fundamentalist organisations in Bangladesh had grown by leaps and bounds recently.

Stating that India has always been a shelter for minorities from neighbouring countries when they faced problems, Sangma, whose North East People's Forum has focused on the infiltration issue said, "But we oppose those coming illegally on a day-to-day basis".

PTI