NIA Has Not Dropped Terror Case Against Van Dyke, Six Ukrainians: Govt

New Delhi, Sep 9: The government has clarified that the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has not closed its terror investigation against US national Matthew Aaron Van Dyke and six Ukrainian nationals, saying the agency’s chargesheet under the Immigration and Foreigners Act (IFA) does not amount to dropping the probe under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Van Dyke and the six Ukrainians were arrested in March 2026 in a case initially registered under Section 18 of the UAPA and other provisions. They were accused of allegedly entering Myanmar illegally and providing drone-warfare training to ethnic armed groups.

The clarification follows the NIA filing a chargesheet against the seven accused under the IFA, without invoking UAPA provisions in the chargesheet. The move had raised questions over whether the terror-related investigation against the accused had effectively been dropped.

The Congress had also questioned the NIA’s decision and sought an explanation for why UAPA provisions were not included in the chargesheet.

The government, however, said the filing of the chargesheet under the IFA and the ongoing UAPA investigation are separate developments and should not be conflated.

It maintained that the absence of UAPA provisions from the chargesheet filed in the immigration-related case does not mean that the probe into the allegations under the anti-terror law has been closed. (Agencies)