ULFA leaders in Bhutanese jail
Latest news from Assam mentions that five senior leaders of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) are still under the captivity of Bhutan government.
Top ULFA brass viz Major Bening Rabha, Major Ashanta Baghphukan, Major Jeeban Moran (Senior), Lt Nilu Chakravarty and second Lt Sarat Sarania alias Abhijit Deka along with few others who had been missing since the Operation All-Clear, a joint operation of Bhutan and Indian army in 2003.
According to Times of Assam, these leaders are kept together in some unidentified location in Bhutan. The paper speculated that ULFA leaders did not make it public despite knowing the fact in fear that Bhutan government might kill them before facts come out. On the other hand, it seems Bhutan government is making a bargaining with the outfit to leave the land/not attack Bhutan or else be ready to lose the leaders. This might also be an bargaining tool with government of India.
Hunger strikes by eminent personalities, protests and demands by all major civil organisations, assurances by chief minister to take the issue with the union government, memorandum to the Prime Minister by Human Rights organization and tearful requests to the Government by families of the concerned to make public of these leaders’ whereabouts did not yield any result for the last eight years.
The interesting part of the game is to know that India remained silent over the evidence. It is unlikely to believe that Indian government did not have any idea of ULFA leaders being kept in Bhutanese prison. Human rights groups might raise question if India is developing Bhutan as the second Guantanamo Detention Camp.
According to the paper, ULFA’s Commander of the dreaded 709 Battalion, Heera Sarania is known to have sent an email to king as well as to some of the Bhutanese ministers in January 2008 asking them to release the leaders.
Not sure but recent ambushes in Bhutan are likely to be ULFA’s indirect pressure on Bhutan government to release the leaders after failing to get positive response though formal mail. Bhutan has so far denied any ULFA presence in the country since the operation.
Lying on my bed, heart fm on the radio and surrounded by clothes and an empty suitcase!