Guwahati: A day after Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi offered safe passage to elusive Ulfa chief Paresh Baruah to visit his ailing mother, the authorities in the ministry of home affairs on Thursday described the offer of the state government as legally untenable.
However, in a related development, elusive Ulfa chief Paresh Baruah, who called up local newspapers on Thursday, also rejected both the financial assistance as well as the safe-passage offer of the chief minister. The authoritative security sources in the ministry of home affairs told this newspaper that such unilateral offer of the state government was not tenable as central government has already issued Interpol red-corner notices against Ulfa chief.
Moreover an apex court of Bangladesh has convicted Mr Baruah. The National Investigation Agency a central government agency has also issued look out notice against Ulfa chief so state government can’t guarantee immunity on its own.
On the other hand Ulfa chief Paresh Baruah on Thursday told local newspaper that he doesn’t need a safe-passage to see her ailing mother.
“In fact we three brothers are also capable of looking after our mother so we have also turned down the financial assistance of the state government,” said the Ulfa chief while suggesting, “If chief minister is so humanitarian, he should extend such financial assistance to all the family members of Ulfa rebels.”
Asking Mr Gogoi to persuade New Delhi to scrap Armed Forces Special Power Act (AFSPA), which he alleged is responsible rampant violation of human rights of the common people, Mr Baruah questioned, “If Mr Gogoi is so humanitarian, he should ensure that all the flood victims of the state could avail such financial assistances.”
Mr Barua, 58, who heads Ulfa’s armed wing since its inception in 1979, had two years ago declared his faction as Ulfa (Independent) after the original group headed by chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa entered into a ceasefire agreement with the government.
In 2003, Mr Barua shifted from Bhutan to Bangladesh after Bhutan army launched an operation. He is currently holed up in Myanmar and recently floated the United Liberation Front of Western South-East Asia with NSCN-K chief S.S. Khaplang as it chairman.
