A Bangladesh court has acquitted six persons, among them a former minister, and commuted the death penalty of Ulfa chief Paresh Baruah in a case related to the Chattogram arms haul of 2004. The Chattogram arms haul case involved the seizure of ten truckloads of arms and ammunition meant for the anti-India militant groups from Chattogram. According to “Prothom Alo,” the court acquitted former minister Lutfozzaman Babar and five others while reducing Baruah’s death sentence to life imprisonment.
The seized weapons, which were earmarked for insurgent groups hostile to India, were discovered by the regime of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami in 2004. Proof was found against junior minister for home affairs Lutfozzaman Babar from the Khaleda Zia-led BNP regime, who allegedly helped bring the smuggled arms into Bangladesh. The same regime gave shelter to Ulfa leader Paresh Baruah in Bangladesh.
Baruah, currently believed to be operating from China, leads the Ulfa-I faction, which continues to pursue its goal of Assam’s secession from India. While many of Ulfa’s top leaders have surrendered and are engaged in peace talks with the Indian government, Baruah remains active in his separatist campaign. Alongside Baruah, five other individuals on death row received reduced sentences. According to a Dhaka-based newspaper, the sentence on Baruah was reduced to life imprisonment, while that of the others was confined to 10 years.
The Awami League government, headed by Sheikh Hasina before her forced exile after the protests, had been stern against the anti-India groups that were reportedly working in Bangladesh. Nevertheless, the recent acquittals and the reduction in sentences have occurred under the caretaker government headed by Muhammad Yunus, who came into power after Hasina left. Relations between the new regime and India have been taut with growing violence against minorities, including Hindus.
The 2004 Chattogram Arms Haul
The Chattogram arms haul of 2004 is one of the largest weapon seizures in South Asia. The consignment of illegal arms and ammunition, discovered in the port city of Chattogram, included 10 truckloads, with contents such as 4,930 firearms, 27,020 grenades, 840 rocket launchers, 300 rockets, 2,000 grenade launch tubes, 6,392 magazines, and over 1.1 million bullets. It was reportedly smuggled from China and destined for insurgent groups in India’s northeastern region.
In an interview with media in 2023, a former deputy director general of India’s Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) said that the BNP-Jamaat alliance played a role in making it possible for the smuggling. The DIA official said that the arms consignment was a move by Paresh Baruah to increase the intensity of the separatist movement in Assam, taking advantage of the sanctuary provided by the BNP-Jamaat administration.
