stuin

Guwahati, Feb. 20: The All Assam Students’ Union (AASU) today demanded the intervention of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to constitute a CBI inquiry into the allegations of involvement of several ministers of the Tarun Gogoi government in the Rs 1,000 crore scam in North Cachar Hills district.

The AASU also demanded that the Union home ministry immediately publish the main report of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) that indicted the ministers in embezzlement of the funds meant for development in the district.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi had yesterday rejected a CBI inquiry unless there was prima facie evidence against the ministers.

Reacting to a news report published in a national magazine about the alleged involvement of the state’s ministers in the scam, the AASU leaders dared Gogoi to “prove his moral uprightness by constituting the CBI inquiry”.

The magazine in its report named seven ministers, besides sitting MP Dip Gogoi and former Assam Governor Lt Gen. (retd) Ajai Singh, for their involvement in the scam.

“Since the central funds meant for development of NC Hills used to go through Dispur, it could easily be understood that someone in the government might have siphoned off the funds. The NIA, which probed the alleged politician-bureaucrat-militant nexus in embezzlement of funds in NC Hills, also recommended a CBI probe. Why is Gogoi afraid of asking the CBI to conduct the inquiry? The Prime Minister, who is a representative from Assam in Parliament, must intervene and order a CBI inquiry to punish those involved in siphoning off public or tax payers’ money in NC Hills,” AASU advisor Sammujjal Bhattacharyya told reporters.

He said the NIA had submitted a report to the Union government highlighting the involvement of Assam’s ministers in the scam and the AASU would pressure the Union home ministry to make the report public.

“The NIA was created after the Mumbai terror strikes to probe terrorism-related acts. The agency’s credibility will be at stake if its main report is not published. The Congress government at the Centre might overcome political pressure to expose those involved in the scam. It must also be investigated as to why the NIA could not fully complete its investigation in NC Hills,” Bhattacharyya said.

AASU president Sankar Prasad Rai alleged that the chief minister was trying desperately to shield the corrupt ministers of his cabinet.

The students’ union demanded punishment to all those involved in the scam, including the former governor.

Bhattacharyya said if the Centre did not concede to the AASU’s demands, it would approach either the Supreme Court or Gauhati High Court for a CBI probe.

The AGP today staged a dharna in front of Raj Bhavan, seeking the arrest of those named in the NIA report.

According to the magazine, the indicted ministers are Himanta Biswa Sarma, Rockybul Hussain, Chandan Brahma, Ajanta Neog, Akon Bora, Gautom Roy and Khorsing Ingty. Hussain filed a criminal defamation suit against the management and editor of the magazine at the sub-divisional judicial magistrate’s court in Nagaon today.