London court starts hearing to ascertain who is Ulfa (Independent) chairman

The London based Assam origin physician, Dr. Mukul Hazarika on Tuesday had to appear at the Westminster magistrate's court in London on Tuesday over the allegation that he is the Ulfa (I) chairman Dr. Avijit Asom, reports ETV Bharat's Gautam Baruah

News Desk: The government of India seems to have intensified the process for the extradition of Ulfa (Independent) Chairman Dr Avijit Asom alias Dr Mukul Hazarika. The London based Assam origin physician, Dr Mukul Hazarika on Tuesday had to appear at the Westminster magistrate's court in London over the allegation that he is the Ulfa (I) chairman Dr Avijit Asom.

The government of India claims that the 75-year old London based doctor is the Ulfa faction's chairman, Dr. Avijit Asom. Controversy shrouds over the Ulfa (I) chairman as the proscribed outfit as well as its commander-in-chief Paresh Baruah had a few months back claimed that there is no one by the name Dr. Avijit Asom and that it is a fictitious character created by the organization.

A medical graduate from the Guwahati Medical College, Dr. Hazarika holds a British passport and has been living at Elton in East London since 2004 along with his family.

On Tuesday Hazarika's counsel, Ben Cooper told the Westminister Magistrate that his client had never been involved with any secessionist outfit in Assam. Cooper also argued that his client is Dr. Mukul Hazarika and not Dr. Avijit Asom as claimed by the government of India. Cooper said that his client had been involved with some humanitarian works only apart from his medical practice.

According to sources, counsel representing the government of India claimed that Dr. Hazarika has been involved with the Ulfa (I) as its chairman and that he had spent a substantial amount of time in the Ulfa (I) camps in Myanmar between 2016 to 2019. The counsel argued that Dr. Avijit Asom is the pseudonym of Dr. Mukul Hazarika and that he had been encouraging young generations in Assam to join the outfit and to wage war against the state.

Dr Hazarika was also arrested by the extradition unit of London last year but released on bail later. It may be mentioned here that the National Investigating Agency (NIA) had been investigating the case of Ulfa (I) chairman Dr. Avijit Asom since 2017. An NIA team had also visited the ancestral home of Dr. Mukul Hazarika at Kashori gaon village in the Nagaon district of Central Assam.

Police in Assam, however, remained tight-lipped over the developments and only said that the NIA has been investigating the case.