Guwahati: In what may have relieved the ministry of home affairs the most, the Ulfa general secretary Anup Chetia is no longer a fugitive who wants to go back to the path of armed struggle.
Disclosing that the founding member of the Ulfa is also reluctant to be the part of ongoing peace-process with pro-talk faction of Ulfa, authoritative security sources told this newspaper that Anup Chetia doesn’t want to associate himself with elusive Ulfa chief Paresh Baruah as well.
Referring the confession of Chetia who was constantly under the surveillance of security agency, security sources said that Ulfa general secretary has already expressed his reluctance on being the part of peace-process led by Ulfa chairman Arvinda Rajkhowa.
Indicating that home ministry may not insist on prolonging his stay in judicial custody, security sources claimed that Chetia has realized the futility of armed struggle.
Claiming that many factional leaders of Ulfa had tried to establish contact with Ulfa general secretary, security sources said that Chetia had disappointed most of them who wanted to rope him in to armed struggle.
Informing that extradited Ulfa general secretary would not be the part of proposed November 24 peace-talks with pro-talk faction of Ulfa, security sources said that Chetia was given the option of being the part of it but turned down.
It is significant that Chetia was among top leaders who formed the Ulfa along with Paresh Baruah, Arabinda Rajkhowa, Pradip Gogoi and Bhimakanta Buragohain on April 7, 1979 at Sivasagar in Upper Assam. The elusive Ulfa chief Paresh Baruah became the outfit’s commander-in-chief and Arvind Rajkhowa was entrusted the responsibility of its chairman, Pradeep Gogoi vice chairman and Chetia its general secretary. Bhimakanta Buragohain, refererred to as ‘Mama’ (uncle) was the organisation’s patriarch and passed away a few years ago.
Chetia, who was arrested in Kolkata in 1991 and released to join peace talks with then Prime Minister Narasimha Rao in January 1992, disappeared soon after the talks failed. He fled to Bangladesh, but was arrested in 1997 and sentenced to seven years in prison for travelling on a false passport.
However, arrest of Chetia in Dhaka was also embroiled in a controversy with security agency attributing some disputes within the rank and file of Ulfa as prime reason behind his arrest.
