Meghen extradited to India: Bardhan

IMPHAL, Nov 24 – Communist Party of India (CPI) General Secretary AB Bardhan has informed the Manipur unit of CPI that the banned United National Liberation Front (UNLF) chairman, RK Meghen has been handed over to India after being arrested in Dhaka on September 29 last.

Chairman of Communist Party of Bangladesh Mansur Hassan Khan had conveyed the report of the arrest of the UNLF leader in Bangladesh over telephone on Monday to Bardhan.

Khan had also informed Bardhan that Meghen was taken to India after being arrested by a combined team of Bangladesh intelligence and RAW of India.

On Saturday, CPI central office has asked its Bangladesh counterpart to find out details of the arrest besides urging the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to look into the alleged disappearance of Meghen after being arrested in Bangladesh and requested him to reveal his whereabouts at the earliest.

Bardhan had also written to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in this regard. Whereabouts of Meghen has remained a mystery after the said arrest from Lalmatia area under Mohammadpur Police Station in Dhaka on September 29 last.

Newmai News adds: Meanwhile, a meeting held here on Sunday to discuss the whereabouts of RK Meghen, the chairman of United National Liberation Front (UNLF), has decided to dispatch a missive to the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappeared (UN-WGEID).

The missive will be sent by Families of Involuntary Disappeared Association of Manipur (FIDAM). The UNLF leader was reportedly arrested in Dhaka by a joint team of RAW sleuths and Bangladeshi police on September 29 last and later allegedly extradited to India.

FIDAM organised the discussion at Manipur Press Club which was attended by civil organisations such as United Committee, Manipur (UCM), United People’s Front (UPF), CORE, All Manipur Bar Association (AMBA), Human Rights Alert (HRA) and others.

The participants adopted two resolutions including one seeking the support of the UNO, international rights bodies and national human rights organisations in finding the whereabouts of Meghen.

Noted human rights activist and senior advocate Khaidem Mani who moderated the discussion said that though Meghen may be an underground activist but we have to accept that he is a leader.

FIDAM president K Ranjit recalled how he still cannot come to terms with the incident 30 years ago when security forces picked up his elder brother K Lokendro, never to be seen or heard about till today. He said that till date his family has no clue about him who was picked up by men in uniform when the victim was just 22 years old.