Why Akhil’s Bail was Rejected? NIA said 15 KMSS Members Took Arms Training

KMSS has decided to move the Supreme Court soon against the high court order

Time8 Webdesk
January 7, 2021
6:26 pm

Why Akhil’s Bail was Rejected? NIA said 15 KMSS Members Took Arms Training :

GUWAHATI: The National Investigation Agency (NIA), probing the case against peasant leader Akhil Gogoi in connection with his alleged link with illegal Maoist outfits, alleged that Gogoi had sent several members of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) to illegal camps run by CPI (Maoist) to receive training in handling arms and explosives in 2009.

On Thursday, Gogoi’s bail plea was rejected by the Gauhati high court after the NIA in its charge sheet blamed the peasant leader of conspiring against the state and objected to his bail plea.

The high court in its order said, “Materials collected including the statement of witnesses recorded during investigation reveal that the petitioner (Gogoi) herein was instrumental in sending around 15 members of KMSS in batches of five each for training to camps run by CPI (Maoist), where they were trained, amongst others, in their ideology, to handle arms, explosives, etc., and in tactics of mass mobilisation to carry out seditious activities in the garb of protest activities.”

In the charge-sheet, NIA referred to the statements of witnesses, video footages as well as the transcription of public speeches and intercepted phone calls in order to project that Gogoi and others had conspired and coordinated to their common intention of committing seditious activities behind the garb of protests, to strike terror in a section of people by paralyzing government machinery causing economic blockade, causing enmity between groups, disruption of public peace and widespread disharmony.

The charge-sheet also mentioned that NIA has also collected data (one video file of speech with a date stamp of December 10, 2019, found in one Samsung Tab of Gogoi, which according to the prosecution revealed conspiracy of a terrorist act as defined in section 15(1)(a) (iii) of the UA(P) Act.

References were also been made by NIA to several photo and video files of violent crowd shouting slogans, blocking traffic by burning of tyres, obstructing policemen on duty, confrontation with police and security personnel.

The NIA had also cited the multiple numbers of cases filed against him in which Gogoi was accused of disruptive activities. The NIA has also submitted videos of speeches that they termed as provocative, thereby inciting people to stop the transportation of economic and natural resources.

Akhil’s Bail was Rejected : Gogoi, arrested in December 2019 during the anti Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), has been continuing to be behind the bars on sedition charges.

Meanwhile, KMSS has decided to move the Supreme Court soon against the high court order. “In fact, it’s the other way round Akhil Gogoi’s arrest and the charges slapped on him are a part of a greater conspiracy. We still have faith in the judiciary and will move the Apex court soon,” said Dhaijya Konwar, KMSS leader.