E-Paper
SIT probe on Gaurav Gogoi’s Pakistan links completed, report to MHA: Assam CM
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma says SIT probe into Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi’s alleged Pakistan links is complete; report to be sent to MHA
Silchar: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said that the state government has completed its probe into the alleged links of Congress lawmaker Gaurav Gogoi with Pakistan, and the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report will be submitted to the Union ministry of home affairs (MHA) for further investigation.
The chief minister has repeatedly accused Gogoi of travelling to Pakistan and questioned the citizenship of his family.
The SIT was constituted on February 17 last year following a state cabinet decision to investigate the activities of Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh and his associates. The cabinet resolution ordering the SIT probe had linked Sheikh to Gaurav Gogoi’s wife, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi, a British national.
Also Read: Assam police file FIR against Pak national ‘linked’ to Gogoi’s wife, form SIT
Gogoi, the son of former Congress Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, has denied any links to Pakistan, stating that he travelled to Pakistan in 2013 when his wife was employed there as part of a climate change project.
Sarma has also attacked Gogoi and his family, claiming that they were anti-nationalists since Gogoi’s two children have opted to hold British passports like their mother, instead of Indian.
Gogoi has trashed the effort by the ruling party to malign him. “This subject (alleged Pakistan links) is being used to defame me by the ruling party (BJP). This is a C-grade movie and will be a big flop when the SIT submits its report,” Gogoi has said in the past.
Sarma said the SIT was constituted to examine alleged links between Gogoi and Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, which he claimed posed a threat to national security.
“The MP visited Pakistan when his father was the Chief Minister of Assam. It was a 10-day visit, but there is no official record of it. We have details of the visit, and there is important information related to national security in our report,” Sarma told reporters.
Also Read: SIT submits report to Assam CM on Gaurav Gogoi’s alleged links with Pakistan
He alleged that Gogoi was residing at the official residence of the Assam Chief Minister at the time but did not inform the government about the Pakistan visit, calling it “suspicious.”
“Many international terror groups are in touch with local youths in Assam and this is nothing new. Most of these groups operate from Pakistan. A former Chief Minister’s son making a secret visit is a matter of concern, which is why we conducted the investigation,” Sarma said.
He said that Gogoi not only visited Pakistan but also maintained “secret links” with several anti-India forces and had multiple phone communications between 2012 and 2016.
“We have proof of the visit, but we cannot retrieve phone call records. Only central agencies can do that. This is why we want further investigation by central agencies, and if required, they can seek help from Interpol,” Sarma added.
The Chief Minister said that parts of the investigation report would be made public on Sunday morning, following which he would ask the people of Assam to draw their own conclusions.
He also said that while the state government has the authority to directly approach central agencies such as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) or Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the cabinet felt the Centre should have the freedom to decide which agency would conduct the probe.
Last year, Sarma had announced that the report would be made public on September 10, but later said the investigation required more time. On Saturday, he praised the Assam Police for conducting what he described as an “efficient and thorough” investigation.
Earlier this month, Sarma reiterated that the report would be disclosed on February 8. Responding to this, Gogoi questioned why the state government failed to release the report in September last year.
“This is nothing but an attempt to divert public attention from the failures of the BJP. I have done nothing wrong, and if I had, why did the BJP fail to take action against me after coming to power in 2014?” Gogoi said.
