Guwahati: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has stumbled upon a documentary evidence, indicating the involvement of former Nagaland chief minister T.R. Zeliang in a terror funding case.
Though, Mr Zeliang has refused to appear before the agency to clarify his position, security sources said that former chief minister will have to appear for cross-examination.
Pointing out that agency was in possession of glaring evidence indicating his direct involvement in siphoning of government funds and facilitating it to National Socialist Council of Nagaland (NSCN-K), security sources said that Mr Zeliang has sent a written reply through his advocate to NIA but it was not enough..
Pointing out that NIA sleuths have recovered documents signed by Mr Zeliang to facilitate fund for NSCN(K), security sources said that former chief minister, who is now the leader of Opposition in the Nagaland Legislative Assembly, has sought another date for appearing before the agency.
Security sources said that Mr Zeliang’s advocate, in a written reply to investigating agency, has clarified that he has nothing to do with the siphoning of government funds to NSCN(K) or any other outfit. He has also mentioned that if government departments have been doing so, he was not aware of it and had that been brought to his knowledge he would have put an end to it. Sources, however, claimed that NIA investigation revealed that the government funds were released on written approval of then chief minister.
The NIA had summoned Mr Zeliang to its New Delhi office on Tuesday. After Mr Zeliang expressed inability to be present before the agency stating that the state Assembly session will be underway on Tuesday, the NIA had then changed the date to Saturday.
It is significant that the NIA was probing the terror funding case since 2016, when the previous Naga People’s Front (NPF)-led government was in power.
Just before the Assembly election in February, the NIA had summoned three officials from the chief minister’s office to Guwahati. Two days before the election results were announced, one of these officers was also summoned to New Delhi again. (The Asian Age)