Dawki (Meghalaya): United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) Chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa was handed over to Border Security Force (BSF) by Bangladeshi security agencies early on Friday morning at an outpost along the India-Bangladesh border in Meghalaya.
Rajkhowa was handed over along with 10 others including his wife and two children and ULFA's military operations deputy chief Raju Barua at the Dawki outpost in the Jaintia hills district of Meghalaya.
The other people who were handed over include Rajkhowa's bodyguard, Barua's wife and son, and wife and daughter of ULFA's foreign secretary Sashadhar Choudhury.
All of them have been brought to Guwahati for completion of legal formalities.
"ULFA leaders Arabinda Rajkhowa and Raju Baruah, who are in the custody of Assam Police, will be produced in a court in Guwahati soon," said Home Secretary, G K Pillai.
The 53-year-old ULFA chairman had expressed his desire to start peace talks with the Centre and has reportedly been talking to Union Home Ministry and intelligence officials on modality of talks.
On the other hand ULFA's commander-in-chief Paresh Barua has spoken out against the peace talks and wants to continue with the armed insurgency.
Barua reportedly told some Assamese intellectuals close to him that he did not support the proposed talks as sovereignty of Assam was not one of the per-conditions.
Arrested publicity secretary of ULFA Mithinga Daimary also said that talks without Barua would be useless.
"It is possible to hold talks within the framework of the Constitution but talks without Barua would be unrealistic. Sovereignty must be the basis for talks though whether it will be achieved or not, the future alone can tell," Daimary said at the Kamrup Chief Judicial Magistrate's court.
Rajkhowa had founded ULFA along with four others people on April 7, 1979. He was arrested in Bangladesh on Monday.
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