Noor Hossain in exchange for Anup Chetia?

The Dhaka Times Desk On one side, the general secretary of the Indian separatist organization ULFA, Anup Chetia, on the other side, Noor Hossain, the main accused in the sensational Narayanganj 7 murders. Both countries want to bring them under the law. So will Noor Hussain be brought back in exchange for Anup Chetia?

The Bangladesh government is going to hand over ULFA general secretary Anup Chetia to India in exchange for Noor Hossain, the accused of 7 murders of Narayanganj, who was arrested in Kolkata, India. Kolkata's Anandabazar newspaper reported this yesterday.

Anandabazar newspaper wrote that a source of the Foreign Ministry of Bangladesh in Dhaka said that the governments of the two countries have already reached an understanding on this matter. An official of the Indian High Commission visited Gazipur Jail on Friday and met Anup Chetia. Anup Chetia told them, 'He is willing to return to India if there are no legal difficulties.' Quoting a source from the Ministry of Home Affairs of Bangladesh, Anandabazar newspaper also said that the process of handing over Anup Chetia to the Indian security forces has already started.

Anandabazar newspaper also said in its report that when the Indian government started peace talks with them, Anup Chetia also appealed to the Bangladesh government to return home in support of him. But Bangladesh could not hand over Anup Chetia due to some legal complications. After India and Bangladesh signed several agreements on the extradition of prisoners, Anup Chetia's return to the country was only a matter of time.

On the other hand, Noor Hossain, the main accused in the sensational Narayanganj 7 murders, was caught from a residence near Dum Dum Airport a few months ago. The current government has already been talking about bringing him back. But practically no action was seen. However, since the issue of Anup Chetia came up, it is now almost certain that Bangladesh is going to get Noor Hossain, the main accused of 7 murders, instead of Anup Chetia.

Quoting sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of India, the media said that the details of Noor Hussain's return to the country have almost been finalised. The Indian government will soon hand over Noor Hossain to the security guards of Bangladesh.

It should be noted that the police arrested this ULFA leader Anup Chetia in 1997 from a house in Mohammadpur of the capital Dhaka. He was sentenced to 7 years imprisonment in 3 cases of illegal entry, fake passport and possession of weapons. On February 25, 2007, Anup Chetia was kept in safe custody (jail) even after his sentence expired.