'Chetia extradition in December'

Jailed Ulfa general secretary Anup Chetia will be extradited to India from Bangladesh by mid-December this year.

Joint secretary (northeast), ministry of home affairs, Sambhu Singh said this Wednesday after a meeting with Assam chief minister and top police officials of the state.

"By December, he (Chetia) should be here," Singh said.

The extradition of Chetia is likely to impact the ongoing peace process between the government of India and the Ulfa pro-talk faction. Ever since the faction signed a peace agreement with the government, they have been pressing for early extradition of Chetia.

A founder leader of the outfit, Chetia was arrested in 1997 in Bangladesh. He was charged with illegally entering the country using a forged passport and possessing illegal foreign currency and arms. Subsequently, he was sentenced to seven years imprisonment by a Bangladeshi court.

At the end of his jail term, India had asked Bangladesh for his extradition. But the request was turned down by the neighbouring country on the ground the two countries did not have an extradition treaty.

Asked about Ulfa anti-talk faction leader Paresh Baruah, Singh said Baruah is in China at present.

"He (Baruah) has chosen to live in China, get engaged in arms smuggling and mint money through arms smuggling. We have given him an opportunity by inviting him to join the peace process. But he decided not to come. So what can we do?" Singh told newsmen.

On the recent movement for statehood by several groups in Assam, Singh said there has not been any decision so far. "We have asked them to convince us about the viability of separate state. I can only say that right now there is a demand for separate state and we are talking over it," he said.