Anup Chetia was in a catch-22 situation when his daughter fell in love with a Bangladeshi national. As an ULFA leader, he was fiercely against illegal migration from Bangladesh into India after the 1971 war. He was in a Dhaka jail at the time for a slew of crimes, including entering the country on a fake passport and illegal possession of foreign currency. In 2015, he was handed over to India, where he was wanted on charges of murder and extortion. He was released the same year and became a pro-talks leader within ULFA. Last October, his daughter got married to the same man in Australia; several ULFA leaders (pro- and anti-talks) attended the reception in Assam’s Tinsukia, including second-in-command Drishti Rajkhowa. The couple is settled in Australia, but there is a catch. In an interview with THE WEEK, Chetia explains the conditions to the alliance and also talks about ULFA’s future. Excerpts:
Q You were in a Dhaka jail for 18 years before you returned to India in 2015 for peace talks. Were you relieved?
This story is from the February 05, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.
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This story is from the February 05, 2023 edition of THE WEEK India.
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