More than two decades after he left Assam, top Ulfa leader Anup Chetia was brought to Guwahati on Wednesday and produced in the special CBI court. The court remanded Chetia alias Golap Baruah into five-day CBI custody.
Chetia was brought to Guwahati in a special aircraft around 9.30 am and taken directly to the court. While the CBI sought the top leader in 14 days custody, the court granted only five days custody and asked the Central agency to produce him before the court after five days.
The entire premises of the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s Court in Guwahati had been turned into a high security zone with deployment of hundreds of security personnel. After the pronouncement of the custody, the CBI sleuths whisked him away to an unknown location.
Chetia, who is a founder member of the outfit, was arrested in Bangladesh in 1997 and he had been languishing in different jails of the country since then. On last Wednesday, the Bangladesh Government extradited Chetia to India.
A CBI team went to Dhaka and took his custody and brought him to Delhi. The security forces took utmost care not to allow Chetia to speak to the waiting newsmen in Guwahati.
“The CBI has arrested Chetia regarding a murder case in Golaghat district in 1986. The central agency today wanted Chetia for 14 day custody. We also argued in the court and after hearing our argument, the Magistrate has remanded Chetia into five days custody,” said Chetia’s advocate, Bijan Mahajan.
“The court has asked the CBI to provide good food and medication for Chetia. It also instructed the central agency to arrange for health check up of Chetia after every 24 hours and submit reports,” Mahajan said while adding that the court has also asked the CBI to allow Chetia’s counsel and family members to meet him.
“The security personnel did not allow him to talk much. However, we could manage to get inside and exchange greetings with him. He seems to be alright and he indicated that he would talk to us later,” said pro-talk faction Ulfa leader Jiten Dutta.
Chetia’s wife Monika Baruah Chatia told journalists later that Chetia did not recognise her at first. “I am very happy. Finally the wait is over and I wish the government of India would ensure that he is released so that the talk process could go ahead,” she said.