Akhil Gogoi gets bail in three cases related to anti-CAA protests in Assam, NIA court to decide on two more

Guwahati: Peasant leader Akhil Gogoi was on Thursday granted bail by the Gauhati High Court in three cases lodged by the Assam Police in connection with the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests in December, 2019. However, he will remain in jail for the cases being probed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Hearing the bail applications in the three cases registered at Chabua police station in Dibrugarh district, Justice Manash Ranjan Pathak granted bail to the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) leader. Gogoi’s advocate Santanu Borthakur said: “Now he has got bail in all cases, except the two NIA cases. The hearing in one of these two cases will start in the next few days. We hope the court will grant bail to him.” The three cases, for which Gogoi was arrested on 29 May while he was already in jail, were related to burning of a post office, a circle office and a branch of the United Bank of India in Chabua during violent protests against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act. NIA is investigating two cases, which were initially registered at Chandmari and Chabua police stations, related to the alleged role of Gogoi in the violent protests. Gogoi, the adviser of KMSS, tested positive for COVID-19 inside Guwahati Central Jail on 11 July and is being treated at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) at present. In the midst of the intense anti-CAA movement, Gogoi was arrested on 12 December, 2019, from Jorhat as a “preventive measure” in view of the deteriorating law and order situation in the state and his three colleagues were taken into custody the next day. The four leaders were later arrested in a number of old cases registered across different police stations in Assam. They have got bail in most of these cases. The special NIA court had granted bail to Gogoi on 17 March in the Chandmari police station case and subsequently to others after the investigating agency failed to file a charge sheet within the specified period of 90 days. The Gauhati High Court later stayed the bail. On 29 May, the NIA filed the charge sheet against Gogoi and three of his colleagues for sedition and terror activities. KMSS leader Bittu Sonowal, who was arrested by NIA along with Gogoi, was granted bail by a special NIA court on Wednesday. On Monday, another KMSS leader Manash Konwar got bail by the special NIA court here and he was released from the jail on Tuesday. The fourth associate, Dhaijya Konwar, has not yet received bail. He, along with Gogoi and Sonowal, is being treated at GMCH after testing positive for COVID-19.