Assam govt to transfer Gaurav Gogoi’s alleged Pakistan link matter to Centre

Guwahati: The Assam government will hand over the alleged Pakistan link case of Congress MP and Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi to the Centre for further investigation.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said this after a cabinet meeting held in Dispur on Saturday. He said the cabinet, after detailed deliberation on the Special Investigation Team (SIT) report probing the alleged Pakistan links of Gaurav Gogoi, decided to hand over the matter to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.

The Chief Minister said the report submitted by the Assam Police regarding the alleged Pakistan links of Gogoi would be made public.

He said the cabinet also discussed the report related to the alleged anti-India activities of Ali Tauqeer Sheikh.

"The case will now be handed over to the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) or any other central agency will carry out further investigation," Sarma said.

CM Sarma said he will address a press conference on Sunday at 10:30 am, during which he will share all information that is not confidential. Representatives from both regional and national media will attend the press conference, which the Chief Minister said could last for 2–3 hours.

“After registering a case, the Assam Police can transfer it to different agencies. However, we have not taken such a decision. The Union Ministry of Home Affairs will decide and transfer the case to an appropriate investigating agency,” Sarma said.

The cabinet has authorised Sarma, who also holds the Home portfolio, to disclose “whatever is permissible” from the SIT report before the media.

According to the Chief Minister, the SIT has found evidence pointing to alleged links with Pakistan involving three individuals — Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, Gaurav Gogoi’s wife Elizabeth Colburn, and Gogoi himself.

The SIT was constituted by the Assam government to probe the alleged interference of Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh — claimed to have links with Gogoi’s wife — in India’s internal affairs. The SIT submitted its report to the Chief Minister on September 10 last year.

Interestingly, the SIT has neither questioned Gogoi nor his wife in connection with the case.

In May last year, Sarma had said that all proof related to Gaurav Gogoi’s alleged Pakistan links would be presented before the public by September 10. He had even stated that he would resign if his claims were proven false. Sarma had also alleged that Gogoi visited Pakistan at the invitation of Pakistan’s spy agency, the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).

However, Sarma failed to present such proof by the stated date and did not resign.

Critics have also questioned why the Union Home Ministry did not initiate an investigation on its own and instead left the matter to the Assam Police, if Gaurav Gogoi indeed has such alleged links with Pakistan.