NIA seeks ULFA(I) chief extradition from UK
The National Investigation Agency is going to submit a formal request to British government to extradite an India doctor Mukul Hazarika who is also found to be the chairman of outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom headed by its commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah in Assam.
Pointing out that NIA has succeeded in corroborating the fact that Ulfa chairman Dr Abhijit Asom is the same person Dr Mukul Hazarika operating from UK, authoritative security sources told this newspaper that NIA has conclusive evidence to establish that Dr Mukul Hazarika was operating as the chairman of the Ulfa (I).
Dr Abhijit Asom had become the chairman of Ulfa (I) in 2012 after its founding chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa was expelled following his failure in returning to the underground group. Mr Rajkhowa was arrested in Bangladesh and deported to India. Since then Mr Rajkhowa has been engaged in a peace-dialogue with the government.
Informing that NIA had issued a summon to Ulfa (Independent) chairman Dr Abhijit Asom alias Dr Mukul Hazarika at his Kasarigaon Puranigudam residence in central Assam’s Nagaon district to corroborate facts, security sources said that an old photograph of Ulfa chairman with NSCN-K chief S.S. Khaplang in Myanmar, published in local media, has also helped the security agencies in corroborating the facts.
The photographs was released in media by security agencies to cross check the facts as elusive Ulfa chief Paresh Baruah has been denying that Ulfa chairman is Dr Mukul Hazarika.
“We know that Dr Mukul Hazarika works for protection of human rights with an organisation called Assam Watch in UK. He was not related to Ulfa chairman,” the Ulfa stated recently.
Indicating that Ulfa (I) was in complete disarray, security sources said that flow of fund to the outfit has also dried up. Asserting that outfit was desperate to make their presence felt, security sources said that two batch of Ulfa (I) cadres were waiting to strike but failed to penetrate its cadres in the urban areas.