Gaurav Gogoi Pak links: Ahmedabad-based environmentalist quizzed by Assam Police

Guwahati, March 25 (IANS) The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Assam Police probing the Pakistan links of Gaurav Gogoi and his wife Elizabeth Gogoi interrogated an environmentalist in Ahmedabad on Tuesday.
The team went from Guwahati to Ahmedabad to question Mihir R. Bhatt, the director of All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI).
As per the official statement of AIDMI, Bhatt has worked on extreme heat since his involvement in the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change Special Report on Managing the Risks of Extreme Events and Disasters to Advance Climate Change Adaptation.
“Bhatt has led the Climate and Development Knowledge Network work on heat in India and the region. All India Disaster Mitigation Institute (AIDMI) has been working on extreme heat for six years in urban areas, with a focus on small businesses and rural areas with a focus on family farms. He is currently involved in including extreme heat risks in the agriculture risk reduction plan of a state of India; building the capacity of civil society frontline workers in India; and in research on the demand side of cooling finance,” AIDMI said.
According to Assam Police sources, Bhatt has earlier worked with Congress MP’s wife Elizabeth Gogoi in the Lead India climate organisation that has come under scanner due to its activity.
Earlier, the SIT team questioned two staffers in the British High Commission to retrieve information about their links with the Pakistani national Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, who has been named in an FIR by the Assam Police for his alleged role in destabilising communal harmony.
Sheikh is under the lens for his purported role in seeking key information related to national security.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the Pakistan links of Gaurav Gogoi and his wife has made progress in its initial investigation.
The Chief Minister said that the SIT has found significant evidence related to Pakistani national Ali Sheikh, who has been in question for his multiple visits to India and his controversial social media posts expressing immense interest in the politics of Assam.
Sheikh visited India with a big delegation from Pakistan, including the Attorney General of that country.
Sarma said that the Pakistani team, including Sheikh, frequently visited India till 2018 and stayed in small hotels to avoid public attention.
“We have been probing the entire ecosystem related to this Pakistani national. If required, we will take the help of Interpol,” Sarma stated, adding that he has briefed the Union Home Minister Amit Shah regarding the developments.
A four-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) was formed to probe the alleged Pakistani links of Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi and his wife Elizabeth Gogoi.
Gaurav Gogoi has refuted the claims of having any Pakistan links and asserted that he was ready to appear before the SIT.
–IANS
tdr/dan