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by Blitz Exclusive
January 14, 2010
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Following signing of a treaty between Bangladesh and India during the just concluded India tour of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Dhaka will extradite ULFA [United Liberation Front of Assom] leader Anup Chetia and other members of this separatist group by the second week of February.
Anup Chetia [real name Golap Baruah also known as Sunil Baruah, Bhaijan or Ahmed] is the General Secretary of the banned outfit ULFA in Assam. He is also one of the founder leaders of the outfit. He was born at Jerai Gaon in Tinkusia district of Assam.
Chetia was first arrested in March, 1991 in Assam but was released by then Chief Minister Hiteswar Saikia. Later on December 21, 1997 he was again arrested in Dhaka under the Foreigners Act and the Passports Act for illegally carrying foreign currencies and a satellite phone. He was sentenced 7 years of imprisonment by a Bangladeshi court and is being held at Kashimpur Jail in the outskirts of Dhaka along with two other members of this banned separatist group.
The main charges against Anup Chetia include illegal entry into Bangladesh, possession of two forged Bangladeshi passports, possession of an unauthorized satellite telephone and illegal possession of foreign currency of countries as diverse as the US, UK, Switzerland, Thailand, Philippines, Spain, Nepal, Bhutan, Belgium, Singapore and others. Two other accomplices, identified as Babul Sharma and Laxmi Prasad, were also arrested along with Chetia. Since his arrest in 1997, the Government of India has asked Bangladesh to extradite Chetia. But it was turned down by Bangladesh on the ground that the two countries did not have an extradition treaty.
Besides Anup Chetia was also a wanted by the Assam Police for various cases like killing, kidnapping and extortion.
On December 7, 2008, Chetia had written to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees urging it to grant him refugee status and political asylum in Bangladesh. In a letter to António Guterres, head of the Geneva based UNHCR, Chetia pleaded that he had already completed 7 years of imprisonment and hence was no longer a convict to be held in a jail. ULFA also appealed for the political asylum in a safe country.
United Liberation Front of Asom [ULFA] was formed on April 7, 1979 by Bhimakanta Buragohain, Rajiv Rajkonwar alias Arabinda Rajkhowa, Golap Baruah alias Anup Chetia, Samiran Gogoi alias Pradip Gogoi, Bhadreshwar Gohain and Paresh Baruah at the Rang Ghar in Sibsagar to establish a "sovereign socialist Assam" through an armed struggle.
Arabinda Rajkhowa is the 'Chairman' of ULFA. 'Vice Chairman' Pradip Gogoi was arrested on April 8, 1998, and is currently in judicial custody at Guwahati. 'General Secretary' Anup Chetia is under detention in the Bangladeshi Dhaka after being arrested on December 21, 1997. The outfit's founding member and ideologue Bhimakanta Buragohain, 'Publicity Secretary' Mithinga Daimary and 'Assistant Secretary' Bolin Das were arrested during the military operations in Bhutan in December 2003. Earlier, 'Cultural Secretary' Pranati Deka was arrested at Phulbari in the West Garo Hills district of Meghalaya.
The ULFA has a clearly partitioned political and military wing. Paresh Barua heads the military wing as the outfit's 'commander-in-chief'.
Following the military operations in Bhutan in December 2003, most of its top leadership reportedly operates from unspecified locations in Bangladesh. According to reports, ULFA is in the process of relocating its camps in Myanmar, Mon district of Nagaland, Garo hills of Meghalaya and Tirap and Changlang districts of Arunachal Pradesh.
Sheikh Hasina has signed several treaties, one of which enables New Delhi to receive even convicted prisoners from Bangladesh, where Dhaka will take all necessary steps in extraditing such people under request from New Delhi. On the other hand, India will also extradite any such Bangladesh wanted people, who are hiding in that country or are in Indian prisons. A large number of Bangladeshi terrorists are sheltered in India for years, wherefrom they are operating various forms of criminal activities.
The ULFA sought shelter in the forests on the Indo-Bhutan border from the early 1990s and established several camps in the forest areas of southern Bhutan. Over the years, it reportedly developed linkages with several officers and personnel of the Royal Bhutan Army [RBA] and Police – which ensured, among other things, a steady flow of rations, logistical support as well as aid and contacts for money laundering. The ULFA's Bhutan set-up had a reported strength of around 2000 cadres spread across the outfit's 'General Head Quarters', it's 'Council Head Quarters', a 'Security-cum-Training Camp' and a well-concealed 'Enigma Base'.
Most camps and other establishment of the ULFA were in Sandrup Jongkhar, a district in southern Bhutan that borders Assam's Nalbari district. The RBA is reported to have destroyed all the outfit's camps and observation posts during the military operations launched in December 2003.
In 1986, ULFA first established contacts with the then unified National Socialist Council of Nagaland [NSCN] and the Kachin Independence Army [KIA] of Myanmar for training and arms. ULFA linked up with the Kachins through the 'good offices' of the Naga rebels. It learnt the rudiments of insurgent tactics from the Kachins [who reportedly charged Rupees 100,000 per trainee].
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