Guwahati : The Assam Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Saturday decided to transfer the investigation into Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi’s alleged links with Pakistan to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), saying the matter involved serious national security implications beyond the remit of the state government.

Announcing the decision after a Cabinet meeting, Sarma said the move followed detailed deliberations by ministers after a Special Investigation Team (SIT) submitted its findings in a case linked to Ali Tauqeer. The Chief Minister stressed that the inquiry was being pursued from a national security standpoint, with political considerations remaining secondary.

“The Cabinet discussed the SIT report at length. Based on the nature of the materials collected and the limitations faced by a state-level agency, it was felt that the investigation must now be taken forward under the guidance of the Ministry of Home Affairs,” Sarma told reporters.

The Chief Minister said the SIT, constituted earlier by the Assam government, had gathered sensitive inputs and documents from multiple sources during the course of its probe. However, the team concluded that further investigation would require international cooperation, including the involvement of Interpol, as well as access to classified information held by the Government of India and Parliament.

“At a certain stage, it becomes impossible for a state agency to proceed on its own,” Sarma said. “Issues of this nature require central oversight, access to national databases and, if necessary, coordination with international agencies.”

He said the Cabinet had therefore decided to act strictly in accordance with the advice of the MHA. The Union Home Ministry will now decide which central agency will take over the case, following which the Assam government will formally hand over all records and materials related to the investigation.

Sarma also announced that he would present a detailed briefing on the current status of the case and the findings of the SIT at a press conference scheduled for Sunday at 10:30 am.

Responding to questions on the political sensitivities surrounding the issue, the Chief Minister referred to a 2012 visit by Gaurav Gogoi to Pakistan. He claimed that at the time neither the Assam Police nor the Assam Special Branch had been informed of the visit, and that even the Government of India had no prior intimation.

“If my son were to visit Pakistan, I would inform the External Affairs Minister. That is the normal protocol,” Sarma said, adding that even domestic travel by close family members is generally communicated through official channels. “Such visits, given the nature of our relationship with that country, cannot be treated casually.”

Reiterating that the matter transcended state jurisdiction, Sarma said the Cabinet’s decision was guided solely by security considerations. “This is not about politics. It is about issues that have implications for national security, and those must be examined at the appropriate level,” he said.

In a separate development, the Chief Minister announced that the Assam Police would register a case suo motu against senior Congress leader and former Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Bhupen Bora over allegations of indecent behaviour during a public rally. Sarma said he had directed the Director General of Police (DGP) to ensure that the matter was taken up strictly in accordance with the law.

“The police have been instructed to proceed without delay and without any external pressure,” the Chief Minister said, adding that the law would take its own course.

The Cabinet decisions come amid an intensifying political confrontation between the ruling BJP in Assam and the Congress, with both sides trading allegations ahead of a series of organisational and electoral milestones in the state.