Guwahati: The Assam government has decided to hand over the investigation into a case involving Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi to the Union Home Ministry (MHA). The case pertains to alleged links between Gogoi, the Assam Congress president, his wife, and a Pakistani national. The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday night.
The state’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been investigating the alleged anti-India activities of a Pakistani national named Ali Tauqeer Sheikh. These allegations were first made by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma about a year ago. The Assam government had then constituted the police SIT through a cabinet decision.
Citing serious national security concerns, Chief Minister Sarma said the SIT report contains “sensitive information” that impacts India’s security. He said the state government believes that the investigation now requires the assistance of central agencies and Interpol, as it involves foreign travel and international connections that the state police cannot fully investigate.
CM Sarma also referred to Gaurav Gogoi and his wife’s 2012 visit to Pakistan and questioned Gogoi’s 10-day trip to the country. At that time, his father, Tarun Gogoi, was the Chief Minister of Assam. CM Sarma claimed that this visit was kept hidden from security agencies. Sarma said, “If my son goes to Pakistan under any circumstances, I will definitely inform the Ministry of External Affairs. This is a simple and normal protocol.” Speaking at a press conference on Saturday night, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma clarified that the move is based entirely on security concerns and not politics. He said, “The cabinet held a detailed discussion on the SIT report regarding Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh. We have decided to hand it over to the Home Ministry so that a central agency can conduct further investigation. Three people are involved in this: a Pakistani national, a Member of Parliament from Assam, and his British wife. When the MP went to Pakistan, his father was the Chief Minister. Normally, such visits to an enemy country should be reported to the government, but this visit was conducted privately. We will reveal the details of that secret 10-day visit. Any political action will depend on Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party.”
