Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: The Centre on Friday said ULFA leaders, who surrendered today, will have to face judicial process as several cases were pending against them and talks with the militant outfit will take place in "due course".
"(Arabinda) Rajkhowa and Raju Baruah have surrendered and then they were arrested. They are now in Guwahati. They will be produced in a court," Home Secretary G K Pillai told reporters when asked about the fate of the ULFA leaders, who surrendered along the Indo-Bangla border in Meghalaya.
"They have just come. Everything will take place in due course. Wait for that," he said.
His comments came when asked about the possibility of holding peace talks with the militant group following surrender of ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa, `Deputy commander-in-chief` Raju Baruah and eight others
Asked about the fate of the family members of Rajkhowa and others, Pillai said as no cases were pending against the family members, they were free to go.
"Families are free," he said.
Earlier in the day official sources claimed that Rajkhowa has been handed over to the BSF along Indo-Bangla border in Meghalaya.
Rajkhowa, along with ten others, including ULFA`s military operations deputy chief Raju Barua, were handed over at the Dawki outpost in the Jaintia hills district, the sources said.
Along with them were Rajkhowa`s bodyguard, his wife and two children, Raju Barua`s wife and son, and wife and daughter of ULFA`s self-styled foreign secretary Sashadhar Choudhury, they said.
They were then flown to Guwahati for completion of various legal formalities.
Split within ULFA wide open
Split within ULFA is now wide open with military leader Paresh Barua on Friday slamming the group’s chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa for indicating peace talks with the Indian government.
Initial reports suggest that Barua who heads the military wing of the banned outfit sent his message via telephone to the peace activists involved in Assam. In the telephone call he criticised Rajkhowa’s move and called for no dialogue with the Centre or the state government.
On Thursday, three top arrested leaders - Pradip Gogoi , Pranati Deka and Mithinga Daimary of ULFA had said that peace talks without ‘commander-in-chief` Paresh Barua was not possible and the demand for sovereignty cannot be given up
"It is possible to hold talks within the framework of the Constitution but talks without Barua would be unrealistic and would not solve the problem...sovereignty must be the basis for talks though whether it will be achieved or not, the future alone can tell," ULFA `publicity secretary` Mithinga Daimary had said.
With Arabinda Rajkhowa now arrested, hopes have increased about a positive push to take the peace process forward.
However, the fact remains that, despite being the chairman of ULFA, he is not in total control of the outfit. The most notable leader against him is the self-styled commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah – it is believed that he is the one who calls the shots. The pro-talk faction does speak of owing allegiance to him, leaders like Mrinal Hazarika say, “We are with him if he takes the initiative to engage in peace talks with the government.”
Hazarika, along with about 150 rebels of the Alpha and Charlie companies of ULFA`s 28th battalion, declared a unilateral ceasefire in July last year.
The Alpha and Charlie companies were the two most potent striking units of the ULFA.
Two other top ULFA leaders, self-styled Finance Secretary Chitrabon Hazarika and Foreign Secretary Sasha Choudhury had been arrested in Bangladesh in November last month and handed over to Assam police in whose custody they are lodged at present.
The developments assume significance in view of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina`s visit to India slated later this month and also the signing of three proposed agreements, including an extradition treaty and another on combating international terrorism
With PTI inputs
