Meghen refuses to budge, rules out talks
Source: The Sangai Express / NNN, Agencies

Imphal, December 03 2010: Guwahati, Dec 3 : Chairman of United National Liberation Front (UNLF), RK Meghen alias Sanayaima was produced in a Special Court in Guwahati today.

The Court remanded the militant leader to 13 days with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) .

According to M Gunedhar Singh, the legal counsel of the UNLF leader, RK Sanayaima was produced in the Special Court in Guwahati today and after hearing both sides, the Court remanded him to 13 days' custody of the NIA.

'I was not arrested here but kidnapped by the Bangladesh police on Sep 29 (2010) and then handed over to India,' the 63-year-old Meghen told reporters outside the premises of the local Court in Assam's main city of Guwahati.

Journalists out to get a bite from Meghen

The Court Friday had sent the separatist leader from the North Eastern State of Manipur to 13 days remand with the National Investigation Agency (NIA) .

The NIA said Meghen was arrested Tuesday from near Motihari in Bihar's East Champaran district when the rebel leader was trying to cross over to Nepal.

'This is absolutely false.

I was kidnapped in Bangladesh on Sep 29,' Meghen said.

The UNLF leader also rejected any offers for peace talks with New Delhi.

'There is absolutely no question of holding talks with the Government until and unless there is a plebiscite held in Manipur on our demands,' the UNLF chairman said.

M Gunedhar Singh said that he had put forward three appeals that RK Meghen be remanded in the NIA custody at the most for 13 days and also that the UNLF Chairman is interrogated in the presence of his lawyers and his health check-up is done every alternate day.

"The Court agreed to all of our appeals," Gunedhar said.

According to sources, the NIA had sought 20 days custody of RK Meghen alias Sanayaima.M Gunedhar Singh said the UNLF leader had told the Court that he was detained in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on September 29 and brought to Motihari in Bihar via Kolkata only on November 30 .

Meghen had made a similar statement before media persons while being brought out of the Court on Friday.

"He was given only water and no food while being brought to Kolkata from Jessore in Bangladesh," Gunedhar Singh said quoting RK Meghen.

The legal counsel of Meghen said, "His health appears to be fine.

But mentally, he is certainly down after over 60 days of secret detention" .

Gunedhar Singh said, "However, we will get to know of the condition of his health in a couple of days' time when he undergoes a health check-up" .

The NIA had claimed that the UNLF chief was arrested in Motihari, Bihar on November 30.The BBC had though reported that he was arrested on September 29 in Bangladesh.

According to the BBC news reported in the mid of October UNLF chairman, Sanayaima aka RK Meghen, was arrested at Lalmatia locality in Bangladesh on September 29, 2010 by a joint team of Bangladeshi and Indian sleuths and reportedly extradited to India surreptitiously.

The arrest was promptly reported by BBC news which was carried by regional newspapers subsequently thereafter.

With the arrest taking a political turn, Bangladesh Communist Party was approached by its Indian counterpart to confirm the veracity of the news who sometimes in November relayed its confirmation in the affirmative.

However, with the Government of India sitting in stoic silence over the issue, neither agreeing not disagreeing on the arrest, the people of the State rose up in protest against the government's double standard and began to question its dispensation on theory and praxis of honoring international law.

However, two days ago, reports came up that RK Meghen was arrested by a joint team of Bihar and Manipur police at Motihari in East Champaran district of Bihar on the afternoon of November 30 following a tip-off was confirmed by Superintendent of Police in Bihar, Parash Nath and DGP Bihar sufficiently.

Accordingly the rebel leader was produced before Motihari CJM under huge security cover.