ULFA leaders surrender before BSF Spl Correspondent NEW DELHI, Nov 6 – Ending days of speculations, Border Security Force (BSF) has taken into custody two elusive ULFA leaders, foreign secretary Sashadhar Choudhury and finance secretary Chitraban Hazarika after they ‘surrendered’ last night at Gokulnagar along the Indo-Bangladesh border in the Tripura sector. Official version being dished out is that the two top leaders were fleeing Bangladesh following a crackdown by security forces there and surrendered before the BSF in Tripura. They are likely to be handed over to the Assam Police this weekend, BSF sources said here.
The two were reportedly trying to enter India on the intervening night of November 4 and 5 when they were spotted by the BSF troops and asked to surrender, the official said.
Bangladesh security agencies have raided some hideouts of leaders of the outfit this week, prompting the cadres to flee. Internal clashes among ULFA cadres are also said to have forced some ultras to flee. During interrogation, the ULFA leaders confessed they fled the neighbouring country as they were facing threat to their lives from their colleagues, the official said.
Sources, however, said that the two ULFA leaders were handed over to BSF last night itself in Bangladesh following high-level diplomatic intervention by India. As reported yesterday, India had opened diplomatic channels as soon as it was confirmed that the leaders were detained by security agencies in Dhaka on Sunday night.
The duo was handed over by the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) to BSF after DGFI sleuths picked them up from a safe house in Dhaka’s Uttara area on Sunday.
A last-minute hue and cry raised by ULFA by appealing to civil society, NGOs and human rights organisation apparently failed to convince the Awami League Government to come to their rescue. ULFA, reportedly, has a huge network of NGOs in Bangladesh, which has been protecting its interest in the neighbouring country, said sources.
Reports with Indian agencies indicate that other senior leaders of ULFA, including chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, are on the run, while ‘commander-in-chief’ Paresh Barua fled the country after he was named in a FIR lodged in connection with the Chittagong Arms haul case.
Reports pouring in from Bangladesh indicate that security agencies there have started crackdowns on other militant outfits of North-east taking shelter in that country. Facing the heat, according to sources, are National Liberation Front of Tripura (NLFT) and National Democratic Front of Bodoland (NDFB).
Bangladesh authorities had assured Delhi of greater cooperation in the coming months against the anti-India insurgent groups based there and also of the possible handing over of top leaders like Ranjan Daimary of the pro-sovereignty faction of NDFB and Biswamohan Debbarma of NLFT.
The sudden crackdown by Dhaka is seen as part of a fresh initiative to please New Delhi ahead of the Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ensuing visit to India.
Diplomatic relations between the two countries had reached an all time low during Khalida Zia’s rule.
Our Agartala Correspondent adds: Former KLO chief Jiban Singh, who is presently under the custody of Bangladesh Police, has reportedly informed the Bangladesh security forces about the whereabouts of the ULFA leaders in Bangladesh.
It may be mentioned here that ULFA commander Amal Das was arrested at Bangladesh a month back. However, neither India nor Bangladesh are saying anything about that incident.
Sources across the border claimed that sleuths of Bangladesh’s Special Branch had raided House No. 4 in the posh Dhanmandi residential area of Dhaka last Tuesday.
A shop named Technique Asia, reportedly owned by ULFA president Arabinda Rajkhowa, was also raided by the sleuths, but Rajkhowa, smelling trouble, fled the spot.
It was be mentioned that Shasha maintained coordination with the different terrorist outfits of the North East and also looked after their arms requirements. He also dealt with the transportation arrangements for the terrorist leaders between Myanmar, Bangladesh and other South Asian countries and was a trusted lieutenant of Rajkhowa.
On the other hand, Chitraban maintained coordination with the international terrorist outfits and secret services, like ISI, DGFI, Chinese Intelligence, LTTE, NSA, etc. Sources say that Hazarika had connections with the D Company as well.
