Chetia appeals Dhaka court against deporting to him India

Shillong, Sep 1 (UNI) Detained ULFA General Secretary Anup Chetia has appealed to a court in Dhaka against his deportation to India from Bangladesh after completing his jail term, BSF's Director General Ashish Kumar Mitra today said.

The Bangladesh Rifles, for the first time, had sent a list of nine Indian insurgents, including Anup Chetia to be deported, but Chetia approached the court against his deportation, Mr Mitra told reporters here.

The BDR had repatriated eight Indian insurgents arrested in Bangladesh to India, while the BSF unilaterally handed over seven Bangladesh's wanted criminals to the BDR.

ULFA's founding general secretary Anup Chetia alias Golap Baruah had also got the support of Manobadhikar Bastobayon Sangstha, a Dhaka-based human rights group, against his deportation. The militant leader had prayed for political asylum in Bangladesh, saying he was ''fighting for freedom'' in Assam and had entered the neighbouring country to escape Indian security forces.

The BSF Chief, however, expressed optimism that Chetia would be deported after Indian authorities verified that the detained ULFA leader was an Indian citizen. ''It may take sometime more for them to repatriate him (Chetia) to India after seeing the positive approach of the Bangladesh government this time,'' he asserted.

Taking advantage of the ''attitudinal difference'' of Bangladesh government, Mr Mitra said India will continue to pursue with that country to hand over all of India's most wanted criminals, including insurgents.

''We will continue to seek the help of Interpol, CBI and even at different fora to mount pressure on Dhaka to take action against them and later hand over to us,'' the BSF official said.

Chetia has a red corner notice served in his name and is wanted by Interpol, New Delhi. He is wanted on an arrest warrant issued on March 3, 1997, by the judicial authorities in Guwahati for terrorist activities.

When asked whether Bangladesh's failure to deport Chetia was mainly due to India not having an extradition treaty with Bangladesh, Mr Mitra said, ''though India does not have an extradition treaty with Bangladesh, deportation of Indian nationals is possible after being convicted by court and on completion of sentences.'' Mr Mitra was here on a three-day visit to North Eastern states and reviewed the overall security scenario in the region with senior BSF officials of the Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland (AM&N) Frontier following his recent meeting with Bangladesh Rifles Chief Maj. Gen.

Shakil Ahmed in Dhaka.

During the biannual Border coordination meeting, Mr Mitra handed over to Maj Gen. Ahmed a list of 110 insurgent camps, including those of ULFA, NSCN (I-M), NDFB, NLFT and other banned Indian outfits operating from Bangladeshi territory, complete with their addresses.

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