In the charge-sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against far-left Assam based ‘activist’ Akhil Gogoi, the investigation agency has alleged that Gogoi intended to instigate Assamese people against the Bengali population residing in the state during the anti-CAA protests in Assam.
According to a report by Our Northeast which has accessed the NIA charge sheet, it points out how Gogoi has plotted a conspiracy to stoke violence between two sections of society in Assam. The charge-sheet mentions a witness who confessed that Akhil Gogoi, on December 9, 2019, had called him to plan about the protests and asked the witness to do something fiery.
Following this conversation between the Akhil Gogoi and the witness, the duo left to Chabua on the same day. The NIA said that the Akhil Gogoi and the witness addressed a massive crowd of over 6,000 people. Gogoi, during his speech, provoked the crowd that later turned violent and started pelting stones at the police force. During the stone-pelting, a police officer Chabua, who was on duty, got severely injured and permanently lost his teeth.
Deep-rooted conspiracy to create enmity between communities, says charge-sheet
The charge-sheet revealed a deep-rooted conspiracy to create enmity between the Assamese and Bengali people in the state. It says that protestors led by Akhil Gogoi were planning to burn down the houses in Amravati area, which is a Bengali inhabited locality in Chabua. However, this sinister plan was thwarted by the administration.
The charge-sheet also states that even when the situation turned violent, Akhil Gogoi did not try to stop the crowd but instigated them. The charge-sheet also says that a policeman was attacked by a violent mob, who sustained severe injuries, however, the crowd went on shouting slogans like- Jai Aai Axom.
According to the charge sheet, the magnitude of violence was so intense that Chabua Railway Station was burnt by the mob led by Akhil Gogoi causing heavy damages to the public property.
Guwahati HC denies bail, says Akhil Gogoi was carried out violence similar to terror activities
Just two days back, the Gauhati High Court turned down the bail plea of far-left protestor Akhil Gogoi, who has been lodged in jail since December 2019 on various charges, including sedition and inciting violence during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act movement.
The High Court upheld the decision by a special NIA court that had rejected Gogoi’s bail plea in one of the 13 cases registered against him. Gogoi had received bail in all the 13 cases, except this one.
The High Court, in its order, made scathing observations while dismissing Gogoi’s bail plea. It said that anti-CAA agitation was not a Satyagraha as portrayed by the partakers but fell into terror activities defined under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The court said that the use of violence in the name of protest can’t be termed as satyagraha.
The division bench of Justices Kalyan Rai Surana and Ajit Bathakur said in its order, “by use of violence, the appellant-led mob had brushed aside the noble concept of non-violent protest, which is popularly known as satyagraha and that such conduct of paralyzing the government machinery, causing economic blockade, causing enmity between groups, disruption of public peace and widespread disharmony and dissatisfaction towards the government, are acts which are prejudicial/for national integration and such acts squarely fall within the definition of “terrorist act” as defined in section 15 of the UA(P) Act.”
Akhil Gogoi arrested in December 2019 for inciting violence and protests against CAA
The NIA had registered a case against Akhil Gogoi, the leader of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), for his role in in the anti-Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) protests in the state that claimed at last six lives, three in police firing in December 2019.
Gogoi has been charged under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, sedition, criminal conspiracy, support to terrorist organisations, among others. Gogoi was subsequently handed over to the NIA and a court sent him to 10 days custody of the agency on December 17.
