Assam Govt Asked To Book Ulfa Chief In Sanjoy Case

The United Front government yesterday put the Prafulla Kumar Mahanta government in Assam in a fix by asking it to book ULFAs commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah for killing social worker Sanjoy Ghosh. The AGP-led government has little to do with tackling the ULFA with the army already deployed in most parts of the state.

While directing the Assam government to book Baruah, the Union home ministry also issued an international warrant against him, and also sought the Interpols help. The ministry wants the state government to book Baruah under section 302 of the IPC, since he cannot escape responsibility for Ghoshs murder.

A statement issued by the ministry said the police all over theworld had been alerted to arrest Baruah, who is known to be operating from Dhaka as well as the capitals of various south-east Asian countries.

Assam government sources expressed surprise over the ministrys statement since the responsibility of tackling the ULFA had been taken over by a unified command of security forces set up by the ministry itself. They said the state government had less to do with operations against the ULFA, and in any case once the army or the security forces apprehend Baruah, he would be charged under several sections of the IPC, including 302.

Meanwhile, the ULFA has expressed its inability to hand over Ghoshs body to his family. A caller identifying himself as Paresh Baruah told a daily in Guwahati that the body cannot be recovered from the steep slopes of Arunachal Pradesh. Ghosh fell down from a cliff which was about 5000 ft high and so the ULFA could neither recover the body nor hand it over to the family, the caller said.