Former GS of Cotton Univ Students' Union summoned by NIA

Former general secretary of Cotton University students' union, Pranjal Kalita has been summoned by the National Investigation Agency for questioning in connection with the violence during the anti-CAA protest.

Kalita, who was the general secretary of the students' union in 2018-19 received the notice sent by the NIA under Section 160 CrPC on Wednesday.

The NIA asked him to appear before it on Thursday at 11 am at its Sonapur office in the outskirts of the city for "the purpose of answering certain questions relating to the case" bearing number RC-13/2019/NIA/GUW, dated December 14.

The case relates to probe into alleged "terrorist activity" by peasant leader Akhil Gogoi, who is the Adviser of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS).

Along with Gogoi, around half a dozen other KMSS leaders were arrested and are in judicial custody at present.

In the same case, the NIA also interrogated IIT - Guwahati Professor Arupjyoti Saikia who was quizzed for the third time in four days on Tuesday. The NIA has also asked him to appear before it on Friday.

KMSS Adviser Hussain Md Shahjahan has also been quizzed twice till Tuesday and was asked to reappear on Friday.

Gogoi was arrested on December 12 from Jorhat as a "preventive measure" in view of the law and order situation in the state and his colleagues were taken into custody the next day.

However, Assam Police on December 13 registered an FIR at Teok police station with FIR No 1688/2019 under various sections of the IPC along with 18 and 19 of the stringent UA (P)A.

The case was handed over to the NIA the very next day with the issuance of an order (No 11011/62/2019/NIA) by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs on December 14 itself.