Assam separatist leader Anup Chetia, who has been in Bangladesh’s custody since 1997, wishes to be repatriated.
The United Liberation Front of Asom leader told an Indian High Commission official, J.P. Singh, in the high-security Kashimpur jail near Dhaka on Thursday that he wanted to return if there were no legal complications, Jannatul Farhad, Jailor, said.
Chetia was arrested in Dhaka in 1997, and tried for trespassing into Bangladesh and possession of forged Bangladesh passports, foreign currency and a satellite phone. A Dhaka court sentenced him to three, four and seven years in jail. His prison term ended on February 25, 2007.
India has repeatedly sought Chetia back so that he can join the peace process. In 2013, Chetia appealed to the Bangladesh government to let him return. Authoritative sources said the repatriation of Chetia, who is wanted in India for crimes such as murder and abductions, is possible as India and Bangladesh signed an extradition treaty on January 28, 2013.
