Assam: ULFA-I chief Paresh Baruah's death sentence reduced to life term in 2004 arms-haul case

A high court bench in Bangladesh has acquitted former junior minister for home affairs, Lutfozzaman Babar, and five others in the 2004 Chattogram arms-haul case. The death sentence of Paresh Baruah, chief of the banned terror outfit ULFA, has been commuted to life imprisonment, according to reports by Prothom Alo.  

The case dates back to the 2004 seizure of 10 truckloads of arms and ammunition destined for terror organisations operating against India. The massive consignment was intercepted during the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami regime, under which Babar served as the Minister of State for Home Affairs from 2001 to 2006. Evidence had earlier implicated Babar in facilitating the smuggling of arms for anti-India forces.  

The BNP-led regime had also provided refuge to ULFA leader Paresh Baruah, who is now believed to be operating out of China. Baruah was among six individuals on death row who received a reprieve. While his sentence was reduced to life imprisonment, the others were sentenced to 10 years in jail, as reported by the Dhaka-based newspaper.  

The crackdown on anti-India forces had been initiated under the Awami League government led by Sheikh Hasina, who herself had faced exile after political turmoil in August. Following her exit, a caretaker government under Muhammad Yunus has assumed power in Dhaka.  

The new regime’s acquittal of Babar and the leniency shown towards Baruah comes at a time when Bangladesh’s relations with India are strained, marked by violence against minorities, including Hindus. The development has drawn sharp criticism from New Delhi, which has expressed concerns over the caretaker government’s approach to addressing regional security and minority rights.

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