Assam: ULFA-I Chief Paresh Baruah’s Sentence Reduced in 2004 Arms Smuggling Case

Dhaka, Bangladesh: In a significant development that has raised eyebrows in New Delhi, a Bangladeshi high court bench has acquitted former junior home minister Lutfozzaman Babar and five others in the high-profile 2004 Chattogram arms-haul case.

Concurrently, the death sentence of Paresh Baruah, the elusive chief of the banned United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), has been commuted to life imprisonment.

The 2004 case involved the seizure of a massive cache of arms and ammunition destined for anti-India militant groups. Evidence had linked Babar to the smuggling operation, which took place during the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami regime.

The same regime had also provided sanctuary to ULFA leader Baruah, who is believed to be operating from China.

The recent judicial decisions come as Bangladesh grapples with a political crisis, with the Awami League ousted and a caretaker government under Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus assuming power.

The new government’s approach to regional security and minority rights has drawn criticism from India, particularly in light of the rising violence against the Hindu minority in Bangladesh.

Read More: Assam Police STF Arrests 8 Suspected Jihadis in Kokrajhar and Dhubri

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