NIA court frames charges against Akhil Gogoi under UAPA for anti-CAA agitation
Guwahati: Assam MLA Akhil Gogoi and three of his associates have been charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) for their alleged involvement in the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protests in the state.
A special NIA court framed charges against Gogoi under Section 18 of the UAPA (conspiracy) and IPC sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 153A (promotion of enmity), and 153B (imputations prejudicial to national integration).
His associates, Dhaijya Konwar, Bittu Sonowal, and Manash Konwar, were also charged under Section 18 of the UAPA and IPC Section 120B.
However, the court rejected charges under UAPA Section 39 (support to a terrorist organization) and IPC Section 124A (sedition) as proposed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in its charge sheet.
Gogoi expressed his disappointment with the charges, stating that they were politically motivated and aimed to keep him in jail.
He announced that he and his associates would challenge the framing of charges in the Gauhati High Court.
The NIA had been investigating two cases against Gogoi and his associates related to their alleged role in the violent anti-CAA protests in December 2019.