Pranati Deka's Arrest
On August 23, 1997, Pranati Deka, central committee member and cultural secretary of ULFA was arrested with her baby at Mumbai's Santa Cruz airport along with two accomplices. A visiting card belonging to a senior Tata Tea executive was recovered from one of the accomplices. According to the police, Brojen Gogoi, a senior manager with the Community Development and Social Welfare wing of the company, had accompanied Deka to Mumbai for child-birth, and the cost of medical treatment and lodging - amounting to INR 50,000 was paid by Tata Tea. The company said that it was not aware of Deka's identity, something Baruah confirms, and that the expenses were borne under a special medical aid scheme they had initiated in 1997 for the people of Assam.
The Assam police interrogated Tata Tea executives SS Dogra (General Manager), SN Kidwai (Executive Director), and Krishna Kumar (Managing Director), and arrested Dogra "for aiding and abetting unlawful activities of the banned organisation ULFA and knowingly conniving with those who are waging a war against the state." Since Gogoi had accompanied Deka, the police were also looking for him. Gogoi had been to Harvard on a study trip and checked into a company guest house in Calcutta after returning to India on September 6, when he came to know that he was wanted by the police, and on September 11, shifted to Hotel Rutt Deen where he registered under his own name. A couple of days later, Tata Tea officials became aware of an Interpol alert issued for Gogoi. On September 15, Tata group head Ratan Tata, and Tata Tea head Krishna Kumar met Chief Minister Mahanta in Delhi, and told him that Gogoi was abroad. Noted criminal lawyer Ram Jethmalani wrote a letter to Mahanta confirming the same-
| “ | "It is true that the Managing Director Krishna Kumar and Ratan Tata, the Chairman, saw you on 15th September at Assam House (in New Delhi). They were told that Dr Brojen Gogoi was required by the police. But your Chief Secretary kept saying that he knew what Gogoi was doing in Chicago.
Now, Gogoi had gone to Harvard for a training course which ended in August and was on leave up to 15th September. He had not reported for duty and your visitors did not know on that day that Gogoi had already arrived in India. Even if they had some inkling, they would not dare contradict your Chief Secretary who affirmed that he was in the US (and that) Interpol was after him and he would be arrested the moment he lands in India. They made no false statement to you. They stated what they honestly believed at that time. It is their subsequent discovery that Dr Gogoi was already in India and had used their guest house which was entitled to do without reporting to anyone." |
” |
On September 16, Gogoi admitted himself into the Woodland's Nursing Home in Calcutta, and contacted Tata Tea on the 18th. He surrendered to the police on the 24th.
Read more about this topic: Tata Tapes Controversy
Famous quotes containing the word arrest:
“An unjust law is itself a species of violence. Arrest for its breach is more so.”
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948)