ULFA chief Arabinda Rajkhowa to be produced in court

GUWAHATI - Arrested chairman of the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) Arabinda Rajkhowa, the deputy commander-in-chief of the outfit Raju Baruah and Rajkhowa’s personal security guard Raja Bora would be produced in a local court here Friday, police said.

“We would seek 14 days police remand of the three arrested ULFA members before the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court,” a senior Assam police officer said.

On Friday, the ULFA chairman led a dramatic surrender before Indian authorities at Dawki in Meghalaya.

Among those who surrendered include Rajkhowa, his wife Kaveri and two children, Raju Baruah, his wife and one child, Raja Bora, and the wife of ULFA foreign secretary Sasha Choudhury and their son.

The surrendered ULFA leaders and their family members were brought to Guwahati by a helicopter and lodged at the fourth Assam Police Battalion headquarters in the city.

The wives and children who surrendered were not arrested and no charges were framed against them, another police officer said.

“Family members of Arabinda Rajkhowa and Raju Baruah (deputy commander-in-chief) have approached us for legal help and we are providing them legal assistance,” Bijon Mahajan, a senior lawyer in Guwahati, told IANS.

A senior police officer who met the ULFA leaders at the police guest house Friday described the ULFA chairman as a “highly composed and calm” person.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi welcomed the surrender and said the decision by Rajkhowa to come out could pave the way for lasting peace in the state.