A senior police officer said Chetia would be treated like all other militant leaders who have joined the peace process after their arrest and later have been released on bail to facilitate their participation in the peace talks. A similar arrangement would be made for Chetia, provided that he is willing to join the dialogue.
Chetia, being the general secretary, is from the political wing of the outfit. Members of this wing are generally not directly involved in committing any crimes although they are involved in planning or abetting them, informed the police officer. "We have to find out the extent of Chetia's involvement in the Dibrugarh incident," he said.
Bangladesh to deport jailed Ulfa leader Anup Chetia to India , PTI | Jun 29, 2013, 02.48 PM IST
DHAKA: Bangladesh is likely to deport jailed Ulfa leader Anup Chetia to India as he sought his repatriation along with two other detained members of the outfit after languishing 16 years in jail, officials said on Friday.
"Wait (and see)," home minister Mahiuddin Khan Alamgir told PTI without elaborating as asked exactly when Chetia was expected to be deported.
But a home ministry official preferring anonymity said the United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) leader was shifted to Kashimpur Central Jail on the outskirts of Dhaka yesterday as his petition was being reviewed for necessary actions.
The Ulfa's founder general secretary sought political asylum in Bangladesh thrice in 2005, 2008 and in 2011 after Bangladesh police arrested him in December 1997 and was subsequently handed down seven years of jail terms by two courts for cross-border intrusion, carrying fake passports and illegally keeping foreign currencies.
Despite the expiry of his term, Chetia was in jail under a 2003 HC directive asking authorities to keep him in safe custody until a decision was taken on his asylum plea.
But a senior prison official earlier told PTI that "Chetia has expressed his willingness to return to India and we have forwarded his petition to our home ministry for consideration".
He said Chetia, who was kept at a "division ward" meant for socially privileged inmates under jail code, also wanted repatriation of two other detained Ulfa leaders - Laxmiprasad Goswami and Babul Sharma - lodged in a separate prison.
Chetia's repatriation prayer came as media reports said that most Ulfa leaders preferred a negotiation with Indian authorities after decades of armed conflict for self-rule.
Bangladesh in January this year had signed an extradition treaty with New Delhi mutually agreeing to deport wanted "criminals" hiding or lodged in jails in each other's country.
Under the agreement, only persons with charges like murders, culpable homicide and other serious offences would come under the purview of the deal while offenders of small crimes awarded with imprisonment for less than one year will also not be wanted under the treaty.
AGP patronized Ulfa growth: Assam minister
GUWAHATI: Assam power minister and government spokesman PradyutBordoloi on Saturday alleged that Ulfa had strengthened under the patronage of some former AGP ministers when the party was in power after 1985.
"There were some AGP ministers under whose patronage Ulfa had strengthened itself. The official vehicles of some ministers with red lights were also used to carry weapons for Ulfa. They also held meetings in Kaziranga to discuss extortion plans," Bordoloi alleged.
Bordoloi's statements came after former governor of the state, Lt Gen (retd) SK Sinha, said here on Friday that one member of the Tarun Gogoi ministry was an Ulfa member.
"There is no militant or Ulfa member in the ministry," Bordoloi said. Education and health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also demanded that Sinha names the minister, who, according to him, is an Ulfa member.
On Thursday, chief minister Tarun Gogoi, while defending Rahul Gandhi's reported comments to US officials in 2006, equating AGP with Palestinian insurgent group Hamas, said the anti-foreigners' movement leaders had a nexus with militants in the later part of the movement and after the accord was signed, these leaders formed AGP and came to power with the backing of militants.
Gogoi also alleged that AGP continued to have links with militants after its formation.
He claimed that he had evidence to prove this, but refused to make it public.
No comments:
Post a Comment