GUWAHATI: The
Assam government on Friday told the Supreme Court that it wants to place certain confidential documents relating to the mysterious disappearance of Ulfa’s peace talks negotiator, Rebati Phukan, who is missing since April 22, but wants time to submit them.
A vacation bench comprising justices UU Lalit and Deepak Gupta while granting centre two weeks’ time to file affidavit asked the state government to place the confidential documents by second week of July.
This was in respond to a petition filed by Phukan’s son, Kaushik, who wants that the probe into the missing case of his father be transferred from Assam Police to CBI.
Kaushik told TOI, “I have complete faith on the court but I have a feeling that Assam government would seek more time. Because, the NRC will be published on June 30 and Assam government might put this as a reason for more time.”
Assam Police have set up a special investigation team to investigate and try and trace Phukan after direct intervention from chief minister
Sarbananda Sonowal. A source said, “Assam Police has no problem if the investigation is handed over to CBI.”
Phukan went missing on April 22 and was last seen going for a morning walk, leaving behind his two mobile phones at home. Chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal ordered a search unit of Assam Police to take up the case, but police are still clueless about the former national football player’s whereabouts. Police are focussing on the kidnapping angle after his son Kaushik alleged that his father might have been targetted for his efforts to bring
Paresh Baruah to the negotiating table.
Once a BJP candidate from Lahowal in Assam and the only private individual to mediate between the militant outfit
Ulfa and the government since 1990 is a childhood friend of Ulfa(Independent) leader Paresh baruah. Both grew up together at the Jeraigaon Chakalibhoria village in
Dibrugarh district. Phukan’s first initiative to bring Ulfa to the negotiating table in 1990, during Hiteswar Saikia’s iron rule that broke the outfit’s backbone, ended with the surrender of hundreds of leaders and cadres.
Baruah has earlier claimed before TOI in a telephonic conversation from an undisclosed location Phukan was negotiating a fresh proposal for the his faction with the Centre with help from the interlocutor with the Naga outfit National Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), RN Ravi.