NEW DELHI: The release of US national Matthew Aaron VanDyke, who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in March in a case involving an alleged terror conspiracy linked to Myanmar-based ethnic armed groups, has triggered a political row, with the Congress questioning the circumstances of his release and alleging that US diplomatic pressure influenced the outcome.“Our compromised PM has does it again. The PM has failed to protect India’s elections, institutions and our national security,” Congress said in a post on X.VanDyke and six Ukrainian nationals were arrested by the NIA on March 13. According to the agency’s allegations, the accused had entered India and travelled to restricted areas in the Northeast before crossing into Myanmar, where they allegedly came into contact with ethnic armed organisations and were involved in drone-warfare training. The NIA had initially registered the case under provisions of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).The agency’s March court submissions alleged that the accused supported anti-India insurgent groups. The NIA later told a Delhi court that the seven foreign nationals were allegedly linked to a drone attack on a civilian aircraft in Myanmar, although the investigation remained underway.The case took a fresh turn on September 8, when the NIA filed a chargesheet against the seven under Sections 21 and 23 of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, without invoking UAPA provisions in the chargesheet. The agency said the UAPA investigation had not been closed and that a supplementary chargesheet could be filed if further offences were established.A Delhi court subsequently granted VanDyke default bail, observing that the chargesheet was “piecemeal” while the investigation into the UAPA offences remained pending. The 180-day statutory period for completing the investigation had also elapsed.
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On September 24, the court allowed VanDyke and the six Ukrainian nationals to travel to their respective countries for a month, subject to conditions. The court also released their passports.Congress has alleged that the development followed US pressure and questioned whether diplomatic intervention played a role. The party has also raised questions over how the foreign nationals obtained Indian visas and were able to travel to restricted areas of the Northeast before allegedly crossing into Myanmar.The government has maintained that the terror investigation against VanDyke and the other accused remains open.