Chetia sent to 14-day judicial custody ahead of peace talks

 A day before the crucial phase of tripartite peace talks between the pro-talk faction of Ulfa, Centre and Assam government in New Delhi, Ulfa founder general secretary Golap Baruah alias Anup Chetia was sent to a 14-day judicial custody on Monday.

Chetia was presented before a special CBI Court in Guwahati as his five-day CBI custody ended on Monday. The CBI did not ask for extension of his custody.

Chetia was brought in a special BSF plane from New Delhi to Guwahati by the CBI but the team missed the appointed time of 10 am. The special CBI court allowed Chetia to be produced around 4 pm.

“The CBI has shown Chetia arrested under RC (Regular Case) No. 4(S)/1988 in connection with a murder in Golaghat (Assam). He was produced in the CBI court on November 18 which remanded him in CBI custody for five days. At the end of the CBI remand, Chetia was produced before the court and he has been sent to 14-day judicial remand. He will be produced next on December 5,” said Chetia’s legal counsel Bijon Mahajan.

Mahajan further informed that Chetia was not keeping well. Chetia will be kept in a highly secure special cell of Guwahati Central Jail, Assam Polcie sources informed Deccan Herald.
Thousands of people, including his family members and Ulfa leaders and cadres, gathered at the court premises to get a glimpse of Chetia. The pro-talk faction is engaged in a formal peace talk since 2011.

Chetia was brought to the court amid tight security, with the media being barricaded by the security forces. He was taken to the headquarters of Special Branch of Assam Police for a few hours before being brought to the court again.

“We are eagerly waiting to meet him and discuss the way forward with the peace process which has entered a very crucial and advance stage. We need him to lead us. Our top leaders are in Delhi for the next round of the talks,” pro-talk Ulfa leader Mrinal Hazarika told Deccan Herald.

The next round of talks are scheduled on Tuesday. The pro-talk ULFA faction led by Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa in all likelihood would appeal to the Centre and Assam government to pave the way for quick release of Chetia so that he can be made part of the talks.

It is still not clear though if Chetia wants to join the process. Well-placed sources in the CBI have hinted that Chetia might try to keep equal distance from the arms struggle of Paresh Baruah led Ulfa(I) and the Rajkhowa-led faction.