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Dhaka, Sept 1 (bdnews24.com) United Liberation Front of Assam (Ulfa) commander-in-chief Paresh Barua says India is 'trying to please Bangladesh with a border land swap deal' to get custody of the insurgent group's general secretary Anup Chetia.
"Bangladesh is trying to hand over Chetia against his wish and India is going overboard to please the neighbouring country by signing the land swap deal in return," the Times of India has reported, quoting a statement issued by Barua.
Barua issued the statement on Wednesday.
On Aug 3, Bangladesh home minister Shahara Khatun had said the legal process to extradite Anup Chetia had begun.
"He'll be extradited following the legal process and he must be extradited," she had said.
Sahara's comment came following a request by her Indian counterpart P Chidambaram during his visit to Dhaka in July.
Officials at the home ministry in New Delhi say they are hopeful that Dhaka would hand over Chetia ahead of Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh's Sept 6-7 visit.
Chetia, whose formal name is Golap Barua, has served a prison term in Bangladesh.
Chetia was arrested in Dhaka on December 21, 1997, under the Foreigners Act and Passports Act for illegally entering Bangladesh and for illegally carrying foreign currencies and a satellite phone.
He could not be handed over to India as there was no extradition treaty between the two countries. Chetia was sentenced to jail by a court and he has already completed his term in jail.
Barua on Wednesday also criticised Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi for not protesting the proposed land agreement, which would allegedly alter the geographical map of the Indian state.
"India is quite aware that the land swap deal would alter the map of Assam and this fact is well known to Tarun Gogoi. But instead of opposing the move, he is accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to witness the signing of the agreement," Barua said.
The Ulfa commander-in-chief urged Gogoi to keep himself away from being a party to the "conspiracy" of land exchange and also asked people to protest against this move.
The swap agreement is expected to help India finally fence the international border, one of the mostly disputed ones.
Barua had used Bangladesh as his base for over a decade since the Bhutan offensive in 2003 flushed out militants of the outfit from the Himalayan nation.
Barua was known to be enjoying the patronage of the previous BNP government in Bangladesh, the Times of India has said, adding that he had to face reverses and was forced to flee during a clampdown on Indian militants by Bangladesh authorities after Awami League returned to power.
He is one of the co-accused in smuggling 10 truckloads of arms and ammunition to Bangladesh, which were seized from a jetty of Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd (CUFL) in the port city on April 2, 2004. The weapons, reportedly meant for militants in the northeast, were allegedly ordered by Barua.
Ulfa chief slams planned border swap deal: report | Bangladesh | bdnews24.com
"Bangladesh is trying to hand over Chetia against his wish and India is going overboard to please the neighbouring country by signing the land swap deal in return," the Times of India has reported, quoting a statement issued by Barua.
Barua issued the statement on Wednesday.
On Aug 3, Bangladesh home minister Shahara Khatun had said the legal process to extradite Anup Chetia had begun.
"He'll be extradited following the legal process and he must be extradited," she had said.
Sahara's comment came following a request by her Indian counterpart P Chidambaram during his visit to Dhaka in July.
Officials at the home ministry in New Delhi say they are hopeful that Dhaka would hand over Chetia ahead of Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh's Sept 6-7 visit.
Chetia, whose formal name is Golap Barua, has served a prison term in Bangladesh.
Chetia was arrested in Dhaka on December 21, 1997, under the Foreigners Act and Passports Act for illegally entering Bangladesh and for illegally carrying foreign currencies and a satellite phone.
He could not be handed over to India as there was no extradition treaty between the two countries. Chetia was sentenced to jail by a court and he has already completed his term in jail.
Barua on Wednesday also criticised Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi for not protesting the proposed land agreement, which would allegedly alter the geographical map of the Indian state.
"India is quite aware that the land swap deal would alter the map of Assam and this fact is well known to Tarun Gogoi. But instead of opposing the move, he is accompanying Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to witness the signing of the agreement," Barua said.
The Ulfa commander-in-chief urged Gogoi to keep himself away from being a party to the "conspiracy" of land exchange and also asked people to protest against this move.
The swap agreement is expected to help India finally fence the international border, one of the mostly disputed ones.
Barua had used Bangladesh as his base for over a decade since the Bhutan offensive in 2003 flushed out militants of the outfit from the Himalayan nation.
Barua was known to be enjoying the patronage of the previous BNP government in Bangladesh, the Times of India has said, adding that he had to face reverses and was forced to flee during a clampdown on Indian militants by Bangladesh authorities after Awami League returned to power.
He is one of the co-accused in smuggling 10 truckloads of arms and ammunition to Bangladesh, which were seized from a jetty of Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Ltd (CUFL) in the port city on April 2, 2004. The weapons, reportedly meant for militants in the northeast, were allegedly ordered by Barua.
Ulfa chief slams planned border swap deal: report | Bangladesh | bdnews24.com
