New Delhi, 23 October (H.S.): The Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi has permitted six Ukrainian nationals accused of travelling to India and allegedly providing training to ethnic armed groups in the Northeast to remain outside the country until February 24. Special Judge Prashant Sharma also allowed US national Matthew Aaron VanDyke, an accused in the same case, to travel to and remain in the United States.

During the hearing, National Investigation Agency (NIA) counsel Rahul Tyagi informed the court that the investigation was continuing. He said the agency would apprise the court of the progress made in the probe at the next hearing.

On September 24, the court had permitted VanDyke and the six Ukrainian nationals to travel to their respective countries, the United States and Ukraine. The latest order extends the period during which they may remain abroad.

On September 8, the NIA filed a chargesheet against VanDyke and six Ukrainian nationals — Petro Hurba, Taras Slyviak, Ivan Sukmanovskyi, Marian Stefankiv, Maksim Honcharuk and Viktor Kaminskyi. The chargesheet invoked provisions of the Immigration and Foreigners Act, 2025, but did not include charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), under which the case had initially been registered.

The agency has stated that its investigation into the UAPA-related allegations remains ongoing and that it may file a supplementary chargesheet as the probe progresses.

According to the NIA, the seven foreign nationals allegedly entered India on foreign visas, travelled to Mizoram, a protected area requiring the prescribed authorisation, and subsequently crossed into Myanmar. The agency has accused them of establishing contact with ethnic armed groups operating in the region.

The NIA has further alleged that the accused were involved in supplying weapons illegally, training ethnic armed groups and assisting them in operating drones. According to the agency, the foreign nationals themselves had received training in Myanmar before allegedly imparting training to these groups.

The agency has also alleged that the groups had links with insurgent organisations active in India and that the accused brought a large consignment of drones from Europe for use by armed groups in the region.

The investigation remains underway, and the allegations against the accused have yet to be established through the judicial process.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar