Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday said allegations involving Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh and Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi, the wife of Congress MP and Deputy Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, are “extremely serious” and warrant a central agency probe, citing national security concerns.
Addressing reporters, Sarma said the matter could not be treated as routine, especially as it involves a sitting Member of Parliament. “When a sitting MP, who is also the Deputy Leader of the Congress in Parliament, is linked to Pakistan in any manner, the issue automatically becomes serious,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the case was initially examined by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Assam Police, following which a formal case was registered at the CID police station. After reviewing the SIT report, the matter was placed before the state Cabinet, which concluded that the scope and sensitivity of the allegations required a central agency investigation.
“The Cabinet is of the opinion that the case should be handed over to a central agency. We have decided to approach the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), and once we receive its consent, the case will be officially transferred,” Sarma said, adding that the decision was taken in the interest of transparency and national security.
Escalating his allegations, Sarma claimed there were “startling revelations” linking Gaurav Gogoi and his wife to Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, whom he described as a Pakistani agent promoting an anti-India narrative internationally. He alleged that Sheikh visited India 12 times between 2010 and 2013 during the UPA government’s tenure.
Sarma further claimed that Sheikh deleted his social media posts after the Assam government constituted the SIT, suggesting an attempt to protect someone. He alleged that Sheikh had frequently tagged Elizabeth Gogoi in his posts before deleting them.
The Chief Minister also alleged that Elizabeth worked in Pakistan between March 2011 and March 2012 and made multiple visits to the country, including six trips to Islamabad while working with an Indian firm and three more after joining another NGO. He claimed she always entered Pakistan via the Attari border to keep a low profile.
In another allegation, Sarma said Elizabeth collected information about India and shared reports with Sheikh. He also alleged that Gaurav Gogoi did not disclose his wife’s alleged Pakistani bank account in his election affidavit.
Sarma further claimed that Gogoi visited Islamabad and Karachi in 2013, despite having a visa only for Lahore, and remained “digitally silent” during a 10-day stay. “We suspect he may have undergone some kind of training there,” Sarma said, alleging that Gogoi later raised questions in Parliament related to defence hardware and nuclear facilities.
According to Sarma, the SIT has gathered sensitive inputs but requires support from central agencies, including Interpol and access to sensitive data from the Government of India and Parliament, to proceed further.
The Congress party has not yet responded to the allegations.
