Congress targets PM after US mercenary VanDyke released to travel home

The Congress on Thursday launched a sharp attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a special court allowed US mercenary Matthew Aaron VanDyke, who was arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a terror conspiracy case, to travel back home for a month to meet his family.

In March, the NIA arrested VanDyke and six Ukrainian nationals in connection with the conspiracy involving training for ethnic armed groups in Myanmar.

A Delhi court had granted VanDyke default bail on September 18, and on Thursday, the special NIA court allowed the seven foreigners to travel to their home countries for a month.

Responding to the development, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh questioned the government's handling of the case and said that US pressure had influenced the outcome.

"Our compromised PM does it again," the Rajya Sabha MP said in a post on X.

He highlighted the sequence of events, including VanDyke's arrest in March, the NIA's allegations in court and the dropping of UAPA provisions from the September 8 chargesheet.

He also questioned how the foreign nationals were initially granted visas and allowed to travel through India to Myanmar.

"Obviously, US pressure determined this outcome, but what did India get in return?" the Congress leader said, while asking the Union Home Minister to explain how foreign nationals were allowed to enter and travel through India in the first place.

Congress leader Pawan Khera also attacked the government over VanDyke's travel permission, alleging that he had entered Mizoram without the requisite permit, crossed into Myanmar and provided weapons training to armed groups there.

Khera questioned why VanDyke had been allowed to return to the US while Indian citizens deported from the US had, according to him, been sent back in handcuffs and on military aircraft. WHAT IS THE CASE

VanDyke was arrested on March 13. According to the NIA’s allegations, the seven foreign nationals had illegally entered Myanmar through Mizoram and were allegedly involved in a pre-scheduled training programme involving drone warfare, drone operations, assembly and jamming technology for Myanmar-based ethnic armed groups.

On September 8, the NIA filed a chargesheet before the Rouse Avenue court against the seven in a case registered by the agency in March 2026.

The case was initially registered under the UAPA. However, the anti-terror law was not invoked in the chargesheet filed by the agency.

At the time as well, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh attacked the Centre over the NIA not invoking UAPA provisions against VanDyke and the six Ukrainian nationals.

He questioned whether the agency had dropped the charges following its investigation or under pressure from the Modi government at the behest of US authorities.

“Did the NIA drop the terror charges against US national Matthew VanDyke after a proper investigation, or was it pressured by the Modi government at the instance of US authorities? What does India expect in return? This appears to be bullying,” Ramesh said in a post on X.- Ends