Ulfa leader Chetia denied bail again

Chances of Ulfa founder general-secretary Anup Chetia join the ongoing tripartite Ulfa peace process has turned bleak with a special CBI court on Saturday turning down his bail plea.

Chetia, who was arrested a day after he was flown to New Delhi after being handed over by Dhaka, was first sent for 5 days of CBI custody on November 18 by a special CBI court.

While the CBI had flown him back to New Delhi after the court order, he was brought to Guwahati on November 24 and was sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

On Saturday, he was yet again produced in the CBI special court and he was denied bail. Chetia would again be produced in the court on December 9. The order comes as a major disappointment to the pro-talk faction of Ulfa which has now kept the peace process on hold and wanted Chetia to be part of it.

On November 4, chairman of the pro-talk faction, Arabinda Rajkhowa, along with other top leaders, made a formal request to Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to facilitate Chetia’s involvement in the on-going peace process.

Chetia was arrested in Dhaka in December 1996 and was sentenced to 17-years imprisonment on several charges, including illegally entering that country and possessing currency notes of several countries.

Chetia had already expressed his willingness to join the peace talks since he was extradited from Dhaka. The last round of peace talks between the outfit and the Centre was held in New Delhi last month.