Akhil Gogoi booked under sedition and anti-terror laws

GUWAHATI: Reading the ‘Communist Manifesto’, Lenin’s works, Mao’s life, calling friends ‘Comrade’ and greeting them with ‘Lal Salaam’ are among the reasons cited by the NIA for charging peasant leader and activist Akhil Gogoi under sedition and anti-terror laws.

The National Investigation Agency filed the charge sheet, a copy of which is with PTI, before the Special Judge, NIA, in Guwahati on May 29 under sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between two groups on grounds of religion, race etc), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) of the IPC.

Provisions of sections 18 and 39 of the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, an anti-terror law, were also invoked against him and three others.

If convicted, they may end up getting sentenced for life.

The special NIA court had granted bail to Gogoi on March 17 and subsequently to others after the investigating agency failed to file a charge sheet within the stipulated 90 days. The Gauhati High Court later stayed the bail.

The NIA is investigating the alleged terror angle behind the violent protests against the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Act across Assam in December last year.

The charge sheet claimed the accused have for long been “organising seditious activities disrupting government works” in Assam in the name of dissent.

Gogoi was arrested on December 12 from Jorhat as a “preventive measure” in view of the deteriorating law and order situation in the state during the protests against the CAA.

READING ‘COMMUNIST MANIFESTO’, LENIN’S WORKS, MAO’S LIFE AND CALLING FRIENDS ‘COMRADE’ ARE AMONG REASONS CITED BY NIA