SIT likely to investigate Gaurav Gogoi's wife's 'links' with Pakistan: Himanta

Guwahati: Stepping up attack on Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Saturday said a police case is likely to be registered and a special investigation team constituted to probe into the allegations of Pakistan links of the opposition leader's British wife Elizabeth Colburn.

A detailed inquiry, involving the "entire ecosystem and sympathisers", will be carried out as apprehensions are being raised about whether ISI had attempted to infiltrate the CMO when Gogoi's father, the late Tarun Gogoi, was heading the state, Sarma added.

Gogoi has said the BJP has gone to extreme steps to defame him and his family and dubbed the allegations as "malicious and baseless", while asserting he would be taking appropriate legal action.

"This is a developing situation. More and more information is emerging," Sarma told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here.

He said there is definite information that Colburn had visited Pakistan after her marriage but it is yet to be ascertained whether her husband had accompanied her.

"Various deep information are coming up. The cabinet will discuss it tomorrow and probably a SIT will be constituted as a police case is needed to take forward the inquiry, verify passport and visa details," Sarma said.

He added that a detailed inquiry will be carried out and the "entire ecosystem and sympathisers" will be examined.

Sarma also said that it will be examined whether the ISI had attempted to infiltrate the chief minister's office (CMO) when Colburn's father-in-law was the chief minister.

"Initially, this issue was more of a political debate. But when it comes to involvement of ISI, we cannot just let it go," he added.

Continuing to question the allegations against Gogoi and his wife, Sarma alleged on X that the "network is now emerging as far more significant and deeply entrenched than initially thought".

He shared screenshots of old posts on X by Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, an advisor of the Pakistan Planning Commission and a former colleague of Colburn, and claimed that the relationship between the Gogois and the Pakistan national appeared to be "deeply rooted".

Sarma shared a screenshot of a post by Sheikh in 2019 in which he commented on the problem of illegal immigrants from Bangladesh to India.

"Elizabeth Colburn w/o Hon'ble MP worked under Ali Tauqeer Sheikh in the organisation LEAD Pakistan, which operated under the guise of climate change initiatives," Sarma wrote, sharing the screenshot.

He claimed that a "closer examination" of Sheikh's works and articles reveals a deeper and more strategic involvement, particularly in Assam.

"The extent of this network is now emerging as far more significant and deeply entrenched than initially thought," Sarma maintained, as he tagged the Union Home Ministry in his post.

The CM shared another post by Sheikh from 2020 in which the Pakistan national lauds Gogoi and others for raising the Delhi riots issue in Parliament.

Sarma said, "Pakistan national Ali Sheikh of Lead Pakistan who is Elizabeth Colburn's colleague and supervisor shared his anti-India propaganda and also tagged and cheered Hon'ble MP when he raised the Delhi Riots 2020 issue in Parliament. Yes, the relationships appear to be deeply rooted." The CM also shared a post by Colburn on X in September 2014, in which she wrote: "Spending my birthday watching events unfold in Islamabad. Hoping for a peaceful resolution." "See the concern -- where is she watching from? She certainly needs to clarify," Sarma wrote, sharing the original post.

Sarma had earlier this week targeted Gogoi over the issue, demanding answers regarding the allegations of ISI links, "leading young individuals to the Pakistan embassy for brainwashing and radicalisation, and the refusal to take Indian citizenship for the past 12 years", referring to Colburn's nationality status.

He had also alleged that Gogoi had raised questions in Parliament on sensitive defence matters after his marriage to the British citizen, a charge termed by the opposition leader as a "false accusation".

The BJP had on Wednesday accused Gogoi's wife of having links with Pakistan and the ISI, a charge rejected by the deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha as "laughable and entertaining".

The Congress leader, in a post on X on Friday, said, "The BJP has gone to extreme steps to defame me and my family. Their allegations are malicious and baseless. I will be taking the appropriate legal action."