The Bangladesh High Court has commuted ULFA chief Paresh Baruah’s death sentence to life imprisonment in the 2004 Chattogram arms haul case. Former minister Lutfozzaman Babar and five others were acquitted, raising concerns in India.
Guwahati: A Bangladesh High Court bench has overturned the death sentence of Paresh Baruah, leader of the banned militant group ULFA, reducing it to a life term in connection with the infamous 2004 Chattogram arms haul. In the same ruling, former Junior Minister for Home Affairs, Lutfozzaman Babar, and five others were acquitted of charges related to the smuggling of large quantities of arms and ammunition.The case, which dates back to the interception of 10 truckloads of weapons in 2004, involved a consignment intended for various terror groups operating against India. At the time, Babar served as Minister of State for Home Affairs during the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami government. Evidence had previously pointed to Babar’s involvement in facilitating the arms trade for anti-India forces, while the BNP-led administration had allegedly offered shelter to Paresh Baruah.The recent verdict, delivered under the interim caretaker government of Muhammad Yunus, has drawn mixed reactions. Baruah, now reportedly operating from China, was among six individuals whose death sentences were reduced. The others received prison terms of up to 10 years.This ruling comes amid heightened tensions between Bangladesh and India, exacerbated by rising violence against minorities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh. India’s government has expressed concern over the softer stance taken towards Baruah and the acquittals, urging the Bangladeshi government to reconsider its approach to regional security and minority protection.
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