AnyTV News Bangladesh court was kind to ULFA leader too, spared "India's most wanted" -

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Bangladesh court.

Dhaka: After acquitting former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia on corruption charges, the Bangladesh court has now become kind to the ULFA leader too. The High Court has commuted the life sentence of ULFA leader Paresh Barua to 14 years’ imprisonment in a case registered under the country’s Arms Act, while acquitting several other accused. Whereas the Supreme Court acquitted Khaleda Zia on corruption charges and canceled her 10-year sentence. “A two-judge bench has reduced the life sentence of absconding United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA) military commander Paresh Baruah and four Bangladeshis,” an official of the Attorney General’s Bureau said on Wednesday.

Barua and Bangladesh’s former Minister of State for Home Lutfuzzaman Babar, along with several former military officers, civilian officials and private citizens, were convicted in 2014 on two charges related to an alleged attempt to smuggle 10 truckloads of weapons to ULFA hideouts in Assam. On December 18 last year, the Bangladesh High Court had commuted Baruah’s death sentence to life imprisonment in the case. Barua is believed to be currently living in China. He was sentenced to death in 2014 in a trial conducted in absentia.

Barua’s name is in India’s most wanted list

Baruah’s name is also included in the list of ‘most wanted’ persons of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in India. In April 2004, alleged attempts by some ‘influential circles’ to transport 10 trucks of weapons to ULFA bases in North-East India via Chattogram (now Chittagong) were foiled. Security agencies had seized weapons loaded on these trucks, which included more than 27,000 grenades, 150 rocket launchers, more than 11 lakh rounds of ammunition, 1,100 sub-machine guns and 1.14 crore bullets. One case was registered under the Special Powers Act 1974 for arms smuggling and another under the Arms Act for illegal possession of weapons. (Language)