ULFA Leader Arrested

[Iggy]

Thats why splitting these insurgencies makes sense......they lose their people mind share after their political leadership is no more.....because most of the common population is always against terrorism..because they are the ones who suffer form those terrorist attacks the most.
Any insurgency without political leadership is less credited .....there is a need for soft political power to keep people glued to the insurgency.

it may get messier for some time but sense prevails in the end.

Yups agreed with your post.. will be blood bath for Assam for sometime..if intelligence agencies can find out before explosions then ULFA fastly going to become a past

 

[AliFarooq]

Kudos to india

 

[eastwatch]

Delhi says ULFA chief arrested in India | Bangladesh | bdnews24.com

Delhi says ULFA chief arrested in India
Fri, Dec 4th, 2009 5:53 pm BdST
bdnews24.com New Delhi Correspondent

bdnews24.com, Dec 4 (bdnews24.com) ・India on Friday formally announced arrest of Arabinda Rajkhowa, the chairman of the insurgent outfit United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), from near the country's border with Bangladesh at Dawki in its northeastern state of Meghalaya.

Rajkhowa, his wife and two children were detained by India's Border Security Force (BSF) near the border outpost at Dawki. Also detained with them were his personal bodyguard, the deputy commander-in-chief of the ULFA's military wing Raju Barua and a few others.

The ULFA has since 1979 been pursuing an armed rebellion against New Delhi with the professed objective of 'liberating' Assam, another state in northeastern India.

The BSF Inspector General Prithvi Rai said that the border guards had spotted Rajkhowa and others roaming near the India-Bangladesh border at around 1:15 a.m. on Friday. "They surrendered after being challenged by our men patrolling the border," he said.

Rajkhowa and others were later handed over to police in Assam.

Indian Government's Home Secretary G K Pillai told journalists in Delhi that Rajkhowa and others would be produced before a local court in Assam's main city Guwahati soon.

Indian government had last Wednesday announced the detention of Thadiyavantavide Nazeer and Shafaz, both operatives of the Pakistan-based terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Tayyiba (LeT), by the BSF near the border with Bangladesh at Dawki itself.

Nazeer and Shafaz originally hailed from southern Indian state of Kerala and were wanted by India for their involvement in the terrorist attacks in cities like Bangalore and Hyderabad.

Sources in the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Indian government in New Delhi said that the ULFA leaders as well as the LeT operatives had been detained in Bangladesh and handed over to the BSF on the border later.

India and Bangladesh have not yet inked any bilateral extradition treaty. But Dhaka has recently accepted Delhi's proposal for a tacit understanding to track down and catch the fugitives of Indian law illegally staying in Bangladesh.

As per the understanding, Bangladeshi agencies would informally detain the insurgents and terrorists wanted by India, and hand over them to Indian BSF on the border instead of formally arresting them.

The tacit cooperation between Delhi and Dhaka had early last month resulted in the arrest of two ULFA leaders ・its 'finance secretary' Chitrabon Hazarika and 'foreign secretary' Shashadhar Choudhury ・by the BSF near the Indo-Bangla border in Tripura, another state in the northeastern region of India.

The ULFA had then alleged that Hazarika and Choudhury had in fact been picked up by some unidentified men from a residential area in Dhaka and later handed over to the BSF.

No official of the Bangladesh government has so far officially confirmed reports in Indian media stating that Rajkhowa had been detained in Dhaka or elsewhere in the country.

Home minister Sahara Khatun on Friday denied the arrest in Bangladesh of Rajkhowa, as reported in the Indian media.

Delhi has since long been conveying to Dhaka its concern over Indian insurgents and terrorists having bases in Bangladesh.

Indian security agencies had earlier handed over to their Bangladeshi counterparts the list of the leaders the ULFA and other insurgent outfits of the northeastern India, who had been suspected to be living in Dhaka and other cities in Bangladesh.

Sources in the Ministry of External Affairs of the Indian government said that Dhaka's tacit cooperation in detaining the ULFA leaders and LeT terrorists was being seen in Delhi as a good gesture by Dhaka ahead of prime minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to India later this month.

After the detention of the ULFA chairman and others, its military wing chief Paresh Barua is the only top leader of the outfit who is still absconding. Indian intelligence officials believe that Barua too was based in Dhaka, at least till recently.

In March 2008, Mohammed Hafijur Rehman and Din Mohammed, both prime accused in the Chittagong Arms Haul case, had confessed in the court that the 10 truck-load of weapons and ammunition that was seized in 2004 had in fact been meant for the ULFA. Rehman also revealed that Barua, himself, had supervised the arms-smuggling operation.

It is not clear if Barua is still in Bangladesh or fled to any other neighbouring country in the wake of the secret crackdown by Dhaka on Indian insurgents and terrorists.

Sources said that several other leaders of smaller insurgent outfits of northeastern India had also been detained in Bangladesh over the past few days and Delhi would soon formally announce their arrest by the BSF near the India-Bangladesh border.

 

[eastwatch]

After reading the Delhi-side of arrest story, it seems that the unfortunate assylum seeker Rajkhowa and his family members were forced out of BD and were arrested by the Indian security forces when they crossed the border.

Indians are happy at this news. I would have been happy if they were arrested by the Indians while they were in India. But, the ULFA leaders are being arrested one after another in BD and handed over to India in a cage. Rebels or freedom fighters, these people were allowed political shelter in BD.

But, now the present govt has changed its mind not to support any rebellion in Assam. This is okay, but I do not find it right that a helpless guest can be unilaterally arrested and thrown in front of hungry wolves. Instead, they should have been asked to leave the country.

Whatever Hasina govt is doing is to make India happy. But, whatever she is doing to the ULFA leaders is against the many centuries' old Muslim ethics. We cannot expell someone from our house who already has been accepted as a guest even if he is the killer of my father.

I certainly doubt her IMAAN as a Muslima and I condemn her India appeasing policy. Her ULFA stance has only weakened BD position vis-a-vis India.

 

[BanglaBhoot]

Ulfa: No surrender, no peace talks offer

NEW DELHI: It was neither a surrender nor any precursor to a major peace offer. Ulfa chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and deputy commander-in-chief Raju
Baruah, along with their families, were picked up by an alert Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) from Cox’s Bazaar in Chittagong on Wednesday while trying to cross over to Myanmar, apparently to escape the crackdown on Indian insurgent groups (IIGs) in Bangladesh.

The leaders went through a round of questioning by the R&AW officials in Chittagong itself, before being brought to the BSF’s post at Dawki, Meghalaya, on Thursday. They were subsequently also questioned by the BSF officials, before being handed over to the Assam police on Friday.

Apprehending arrest in the wake of Sheikh Hasina’s government active cooperation with India on tackling insurgent groups like Ulfa and NDFB operating from Bangladeshi soil, especially after their fellow leaders Chitraban Hazarika and Shashadhar Choudhury met the same fate, Rajkhowa, his bodyguard Raju Bora, wife and two children chalked out a plan to enter Myanmar via the land border and proceed to Bangkok, from where they could fly off to either Pakistan or China.

Incidentally, around 3-4 months ago, the Ulfa top boss, commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah, too, had successfully sneaked out of Bangladesh. A frequent traveller, Baruah arrived in Dhaka in July-August 2009 after going across to Philippines, Bangkok and China, only to immediately fly out to Bangkok, giving R&AW the slip.

The escape did not go down well with Rajkhowa and others, who felt cheated as Baruah and family had escaped to safety even as they struggled to protect their families and cadres from the impending crackdown in Bangladesh.

Careful not to let Rajkhowa and others slip out of Bangladesh, the R&AW team there mounted strict surveillance on them, trailing them all the way from Dhaka before intercepting them at Cox’s Bazaar in Chittagong on Wednesday. All of 10 persons were picked up, of which three are Ulfa members: Raju Baruah, Rajkhowa and his bodyguard Raju Bora. The others include Rajkhowa’s wife, son and daughter, Baruah’s wife and son and Shashadhar Choudhury’s wife and daughter.

Rajkhowa and Raju Baruah will now face trial in the cases pending against them in Assam, which involve serious charges like waging war against the State, and will go to jail. Their families will be kept at a safe destination.

With virtually the entire political leadership of Ulfa now in jail, the option of a surrender-cum-talks may be weighed. However, a breakthrough in terms of a peace offer from Ulfa may not come anytime soon as there are divergent opinions within the top brass on the contours of the peace offer, including the tricky question of “sovereignty.”

Meanwhile, the R&AW has decided to go after Paresh Baruah, who it believes will be shifting base between Pakistan, China and Thailand in the days to come. Not only will the agency closely track his possible travel to Dhaka to lay hands on him, but India will also pursue Bangladesh for a crackdown on Baruah’s vast business interests there. While some of these ventures have been identified, his other investments across Bangladesh are still being tracked. All these will subsequently be frozen by the Bangladeshi authorities, thus shutting the tap, to some extent, on the finances that keep Baruah going.

Baruah has apparently earned the disaffection of his cadres owing to his rich lifestyle that distanced him from the miseries of his cadres. Not only this, his bent towards Islam (his wife and children are devout Muslims) is seen as a sign of his shift towards Pakistan and Bangladesh, as is his decision to base himself in Bangladesh even though Ulfa is ideologically opposed to illegal immigration from Bangladesh.

Ulfa: No surrender, no peace talks offer- Politics/Nation-News-The Economic Times

 

[BanglaBhoot]

Ulfa firm on demand for sovereignty

Guwahati: United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) is firm on its demand for sovereignty despite the arrest of its top leaders, the group's 'vice chairman' Pradip Gogoi said today and accused the Bangladesh government of betraying it.

"After Bhutan (referring to the operations of Royal Bhutan Army in 2003 to flush out northeast rebels), Bangladesh has betrayed us and they (government) should be prepared to face the consequences," the jailed Ulfa leader said.

Gogoi, who was produced before the Kamrup chief judicial magistrate in connection with a case, told reporters that there can be no compromise on the issue of sovereignty and both Ulfa 'chairman' Arabinda Rajkhowa and 'commander-in-chief' Paresh Barua must be present for talks with the government.

"We cannot leave somebody out and include somebody. But if the issue of sovereignty is discussed then we may consider talks without the commander-in-chief," he said.

"Whether Rajkhowa, Barua or I are present in the talks process or not, there can be no compromise on sovereignty," he asserted.

The peace process must be initiated with the 'unanimous consent' of the group's general council and the Centre should respond positively for a political settlement of the conflict, Gogoi, who was arrested in Kolkata in April 1998 and has since been under trial for a number of cases, said.

Ulfa firm on demand for sovereignty - dnaindia.com

 

[Hulk]

Good whatever they feel. They are going down by the day thanks to BD government.

 

[BanglaBhoot]

This BD government will not be missed if it falls from power or is pushed. The accusation by ULFA of betrayal by AL is felt by most Bangladeshis especially after the BDR mutiny. We would all like to say good riddance to this worthless Indian lackey of a government.

 

[ssheppard]

"Rajkhowa wants to turn himself in to the process of law… surrender," said the highly placed source. "The modalities are being worked out."

 

[eastwatch]

Ulfa chief not held in Bangladesh

Ulfa chief not held in Bangladesh
Asserts Sahara; Indian home secy says he surrendered in Meghalaya
Star Report

The Bangladesh government yesterday finally spoke about the rampant international media speculations regarding United Liberation Front of Asom (Ulfa) Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa's arrest in Dhaka and his subsequent transfer to Indian custody.

Terming the media reports baseless, Bangladesh Home Minister Sahara Khatun told reporters, "Since we did not arrest him, there is no question of pushing him back," adding, "Media reports about the Ulfa chairman's arrest in Bangladesh is baseless and untrue."

The Indian authorities however formally announced yesterday afternoon that the Ulfa chairman surrendered to Indian Border Security Force (BSF) earlier in the day at Dawki in the northeastern Meghalaya state of the country.

"Rajkhowa and another Ulfa leader Raju Baruah surrendered, and then they were arrested. They are now in Guwahati. They will be produced before a court," Indian Home Secretary Gopal Krishna Pillai told reporters yesterday.

The announcement by Pillai came three days after the Indian media had reported that Rajkhowa had been in the Indian government custody, while an Indian television channel in Guwahati claimed yesterday that Rajkhowa spoke to it denying his arrest or surrender.

The Indian government's announcement also contradicts media reports that he had been arrested in Dhaka on Monday and that the Bangladesh authorities handed him over to India on Wednesday night, following which he was taken to Delhi on Thursday.

Meanwhile, displaying a photograph of Rajkhowa on the screen, another Indian TV channel NDTV aired an audio track yesterday claiming that the voice was of the Ulfa chief, which said he was not arrested and was speaking from a place in Bangladesh from where he had spoken earlier as well. The media speculations have been going on for four days.

In response to a query whether the Bangladesh government will officially respond to the recent related reports, Sahara Khatun yesterday said the media published whatever they thought had happened, and her government has nothing to say about it.

Talking to The Daily Star, Bangladesh Rifles Director General Maj Gen Mainul Islam said yesterday that he was not aware of handing over of any Ulfa leader to India by his government.

Asked if he knew whether Rajkhowa had been arrested in his country, the Bangladesh border security force chief said that is the job of the police, he would not know about it.

Asked whether he knew if Rajkhowa had crossed the border from Bangladesh, he replied, "Nothing of that sort happened at the border.”

Pallab Bhattacharya reported from New Delhi that the Indian government yesterday announced that BSF arrested Rajkhowa at Dawki of Meghalaya bordering Sylhet region of Bangladesh after being on the run from law for 17 years.

"They have just come. Everything will take place in due course. Wait for that," said Indian Home Secretary Gopal Krishna Pillai, adding that the Ulfa leaders, who surrendered, will have to face judicial process as several cases are filed against them. He also said talks with them will be held in due course.

53-year-old Rajkhowa, who has been out of India since 1992, faces several cases including on the charge of waging war against the nation, and his arrest would be a major setback to Ulfa which has been fighting for a separate nationhood for more than two decades.

According to Indian reports, Rajkhowa and his deputy commander-in-chief Raju Baruah, along with eight others including their family members, surrendered to the Indian government.

Among those who reportedly surrendered are Rajkhowa's wife Kaveri and two children, Baruah, his wife and one child, the wife of another senior Ulfa leader Sashadhar Choudhury, and their son.

The surrendered Ulfa leaders and their family members were then reportedly brought to Guwahati by a helicopter and were lodged at the 4th Assam Police Battalion headquarters in the city.

According to the Indian government's claim, last week, two other top Ulfa leaders Sashadhar Choudhury and Chitraban Hazarika, who had allegedly been in Dhaka, were arrested by BSF after they had been handed over by the Bangladesh authorities.

Another senior Ulfa leader Anup Chetiya has been confined in a Bangladesh jail since his arrest in 1998.

 

[eastwatch]

Our Police Minister Begum Sahara's explanation only added more quiz to the already zigzag news about the current fate of ULFA's Rajkhowa. Can someone straighten all the information for others to understand the truth? But, it seems BD govt is quite fishy about its role in his arrest. It is also very perplexing that when ULFA is claiming that he is still a free man, Indian govt has announced his arrest. So, what is the truth?

 

[Nemesis]

He has been arrested. He will be produced in court in Guwahati today.

Not sure why certain members who proclaim themselves to be the "champions of Islam" in Bangladesh are condemning this news, do you people have any idea how many muslims the Ulfa has killed in assam? Do you people even know why the ULFA started its violent insurrection?

 

[afriend]

This BD government will not be missed if it falls from power or is pushed. The accusation by ULFA of betrayal by AL is felt by most Bangladeshis especially after the BDR mutiny. We would all like to say good riddance to this worthless Indian lackey of a government.

Why does it bother you, when your government takes its decision based on strong principles.. rather than basing its decisions based on the differences we have. If your country have zero tolerance to the terrorism in any forms be it against your country or any other country, i think you should be happy about it.

 

[BanglaBhoot]

To allow our territory to be used by RAW to kidnap and then exfiltrate suspects is a disgrace to our nation. Would India allow the DGFI the same courtesy and keep quiet. Certainly not. This bloody AL government has undermined our national integrity by allowi9ng this illegal procedure.

Men who broke the Ulfa code
- ‘Well-planned’ operation brings about surrender of outfit chairman and deputy commander-in-chief

A STAFF REPORTER

Guwahati, Dec. 4: A “well-planned and well-coordinated operation” shrouded in secrecy brought about the turn of events that reached a high today with the surrender of Ulfa chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa and deputy commander-in-chief Raju Barua at the Dawki border outpost in Meghalaya.

Highly placed sources in Dispur named three critical cogs in the wheel of the central plan to get the Ulfa to smoke the peace pipe — G.M. Srivastava, the recently appointed security adviser to the chief minister, additional DGP Khagen Sarma (special branch) and principal secretary (home and political) S.C. Das. The trio had recently tasted success by bringing the Dima Halam Daogah (Jewel) to the mainstream.

Srivastava, a former DGP, is known for his contacts within and outside the country and enjoys the backing of home minister P. Chidambaram and chief minister Tarun Gogoi. Sarma is known for his experience in handling intelligence inputs and negotiating ability with insurgent groups in the state. Das is very quick on the uptake and can take decisions on the spot, a quality only not many in the state bureaucracy are blessed with, they added.

“Overall, there is Assam DGP Shankar Barua and chief secretary P.C. Sharma. But the trio is mostly working on ensuring that not only Ulfa but other insurgencies, too, are resolved peacefully and amicably. They also enjoy the backing of the political bosses. The police, home department and the CMO are working as a well-knit team,” a source said.

The entire operation involves the Union home ministry, external affairs ministry, the Prime Minister’s Office and Dispur.

Things started moving with the Centre adopting a zero tolerance policy — as enunciated by Chidambaram — towards insurgency after the Mumbai terror attack and the appointment of G.K. Pillai, an experienced Northeast hand, as Union home secretary. Pillai, as then joint secretary in the home ministry looking after the Northeast, had been a key backroom player in the early negotiations with the NSCN (I-M).

In its move to neutralise Northeast militant outfits, particularly the Ulfa, the Centre started with diplomatic initiatives after the “pro-India” Sheikh Hasina regime took charge in Bangladesh. The move to get militant leaders operating out of that country to India paid dividends with the “push back” of Ulfa finance secretary Chitrabon Hazarika and foreign secretary Sasha Choudhury.

The Centre also put pressure on the NSCN factions not to give “too much leeway” to the Assam groups.

Netting senior Ulfa leaders is part of the plan to help allow the outfit to hold its general council meeting in India. The council, according to Ulfa leaders incarcerated here, has the final say in matters such as holding talks.

The state government “complemented” the Centre’s efforts by launching coordinated and intensified counter-insurgency operations under the Unified Command, choking funds flow to the outfit, encouraging surrender and ceasefire, ensuring proper rehabilitation and initiating development in known militant strongholds that picked up during the tenure of former home commissioner Rajiv Kumar Bora. More importantly, Dispur, like the Centre, was unambiguous in denouncing militancy and terrorism. The Congress-led government and the Congress party spoke the same language as far as insurgent groups were concerned.

The government also handled the “real” news about Rajkhowa with unprecedented zeal and cautiousness. “Secrecy is the hallmark of the ongoing mission to get the Ulfa to the talks table,” a senior state government official said.

“Earlier, attempts were scuttled by vested interests because different wings of the government spoke in different languages. We don’t want to repeat our mistakes,” a source said. “Going overboard with the catch or blowing one’s trumpet could backfire. Ulfa is no ordinary group. Public reaction can change any moment, particularly in the rural belt where there is still unemployment and the government’s delivery mechanism is less than satisfactory. It is, therefore, important to gauge the public mood and, even more important, manage it,” the source said.

The Telegraph - Calcutta (Kolkata) | Northeast | Men who broke the Ulfa code

 

[afriend]

Co-orperating to apprhend terrorists is not illegal brother..!!! I don't know whether the weakening of ULFA or the better co-orperation between india and bangaladesh that is upseting you.