US National Mathew VanDyke Returns To India, Appears Before Delhi Court In NIA Case

US national Mathew VanDyke, who was allowed to return to his home country for a month, returned to India and appeared before a Delhi court on Friday in connection with a case investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), media reports said.

The court had directed VanDyke to appear before it within 72 hours of returning to India, according to an order passed last month. “He is currently completing formalities in the court,” a Hindustan Times report said.

The six Ukrainian nationals arrested along with VanDyke on March 13 have not returned to India, the report added.

NIA Drops UAPA Charges In Chargesheet

Last month, a Delhi court permitted VanDyke and the six Ukrainians to return to their respective countries on the condition that they would rejoin the investigation.

The seven were arrested in March under stringent provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). However, the NIA subsequently dropped the UAPA charges in its chargesheet filed in September, charging the accused only under the Immigration and Foreigners Act.

The alleged offences under the latter law can be compounded. VanDyke paid the compounding fees for the alleged violations and was granted default bail by the court last month.

The NIA had said last month that its investigation under the UAPA was continuing.

The six Ukrainian nationals are Hurba Petro, Taras Slyviak, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Marian Stefankiv, Maksim Honcharuk and Viktor Kaminskyi.

NIA Alleges Training Of Myanmar-Based Armed Groups

The NIA had alleged that the seven accused illegally entered Myanmar through Mizoram without valid travel documents and took part in a pre-scheduled training programme for ethnic armed groups fighting the country's military junta.

According to the agency, the accused spent nearly three months training members of Myanmar-based groups, including the Chin National Front (CNF) and the Kachin Independence Army (KIA).

The agency also alleged that VanDyke and the others received logistical support from CNF members, while funds for the mission were arranged by a commander of a Myanmar-based rebel group.

The allegations formed part of the NIA's investigation into the activities of the seven accused. The agency's decision to drop the UAPA charges from the September chargesheet did not, however, mean that its investigation under the law had concluded, as the NIA had stated that the probe was continuing.