Assam Police on February 17 formed a SIT to investigate a case against the Pakistani national over his social media comments on India’s internal affairs. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said on Tuesday that his government may seek help from agencies like Interpol to probe the alleged interference of Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh in India’s internal affairs. Sarma has escalated his offensive against his former colleague, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, alleging that his British wife, who retained UK citizenship for 12 years, has links with Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh and an organisation tied to Pakistan’s ISI.
Sarma said that the investigation is still in its early stages and confirmed that he has already briefed Union home minister Amit Shah on the case’s developments. “The matter is very sensitive. I have informed the home minister about the issue. The SIT is doing its investigation, but we can do our probe until a certain level only. We may have to take the help of agencies like Interpol at a certain stage,” he told reporters in Guwhati.
“The entire probe is at an initial stage now and the government will take it forward as far as possible in the coming days,” said Sarma. The state police on February 17 formed a special investigation team (SIT) to investigate a case against the Pakistani national over his social media comments on Assam and India’s internal affairs. Sheikh, an advisor to Pakistan’s Planning Commission and a former colleague of Gogoi’s British wife Elizabeth Colburn, was booked under various sections of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The chief minister, who also holds the home portfolio, further said that the SIT has gathered a significant amount of preliminary information related to the Pakistani national. “When he visited India, many people from Pakistan accompanied him. Even people like the attorney general of Pakistan came to India and they stayed in smaller hotels to be away from public glare. This entire tour exercise was continuing till 2018,” he said.
He claimed that Sheikh came to India 18-20 times, tweeted and commented on Assam, and was in touch with Assamese people. “We have found the name of an Assamese woman, whose husband works at JNU, and both of them were in touch with this person. The investigation is not centred on one individual, but it is seen that there is an influence of ISI or the Pakistani government in India,” said Sarma.
“Assamese people are involved in it. That is why we are monitoring it, but we cannot comment on it immediately. We will need two-three months,” said the chief minister added. The state government also said that it would urge the Centre to investigate Colburn’s involvement in Lok Sabha campaigns in the former Kaliabor constituency, where Gogoi secured victory twice, despite her British citizenship.
