Facing the heat in Bangladesh, the commander-in-chief of the banned Indian separatist organisation United Liberation Front of Asom has appealed to the government to stop the "crackdown" against the outfit.
"A party like the Awami League, which fought for Bangladesh's freedom, should try and understand our passion for independence," Paresh Barua was quoted as saying by the private bdnews24 news agency. The separatist organisation, in an e-mail sent to the Bangladeshi
news agency, appealed to the government to halt the "crackdown" against the outfit, saying the ruling Awami League of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina should understand its spirit for "independence".
Dhaka has denied that ULFA chief Arbabind Arabinda Rajkhowa and deputy commander Raju Barua were detained in Bangladesh even as Rajkhowa attributed his arrest to"Bangladesh's betrayal". Home Minister Sahara Khatun dismissed reports of his arrest from Bangladeshi territory, calling it "baseless".