Peace negotiator between Centre, ULFA missing since April 22: Apex court told

New Delhi: Rebati Phukan, who has been working as a mediator between the Centre and separatist outfit United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) since 1991 to facilitate a peace dialogue, has gone missing since April 22, the Supreme Court was informed on Tuesday.

Phukan's son Kaushik Phukan has approached the top court saying his father has been missing since April 22 and quoted ULFA chief Paresh Baruah as saying that he may be in the custody of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) or the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) or Military Intelligence or the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as they "have a rivalry amongst them".

His son has filed a habeas corpus (a writ requiring a person under arrest to be brought before a court) petition before the Supreme Court.

The plea which sought direction to the authorities, including Assam government, to produce Phukan before the court was mentioned before a bench comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and Mohan M Shantanagoudar, which agreed to hear the matter on June 1.

Senior advocate Geeta Luthra, who appeared for Kaushik, mentioned the matter before the bench and said that Rebati Phukan was a "peace negotiator" between the Centre and ULFA in Assam.

The petitioner also urged the court that the case be transferred to CBI or any other independent agency or a special investigating team as there was "a loss of faith in the local police" due to its alleged lethargic conduct.

Kaushik has said in his plea that despite the registration of an FIR, no proactive steps have been taken till date by the police to trace his father, who was appointed as a member of the erstwhile People's Consultative Group (PCG) formed by the ULFA in 2005 to mediate between the outfit and the Centre.

"The petitioner's father has also been working directly with the Prime Minister's Office since 1991 for various peace missions between the Centre and ULFA to bring peace in Assam," the plea said, adding that Rebati Phukan had also "worked in association and cooperated" with the IB till 2016 on various missions in India, Myanmar, Bangladesh and China.