On Tuesday morning, a contingent from Assam Police visited the New Delhi residence of Congress leader Pawan Khera to question him regarding allegations made by Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, the wife of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The complaint centers on Khera’s assertion that Sharma possesses passports from three additional countries and has undisclosed assets.
When the four-member team, led by a Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) and accompanied by personnel from Delhi Police, arrived at Khera’s Nizamuddin residence, he was not present. The officers conducted a search of the property for approximately two and a half hours, during which they gathered certain documents before departing. Local police secured the area throughout the operation.
DCP Debajit Nath of the Assam Police Crime Branch informed the media that although they came in search of Khera, he was not located. The team reportedly uncovered some “incriminating evidence,” although specific details could not be disclosed at that time.
This incident follows Khera’s recent press conference in which he alleged that Riniki Bhuyan Sharma holds three passports. He also presented documents purportedly indicating properties registered under her name in the UAE and a business entity in Wyoming, USA, which he claimed were omitted from Sarma’s election affidavit.
In response to these allegations, Riniki filed a complaint with the Assam Police, leading to the initiation of a case against Khera by the Crime Branch. He faces charges across 14 sections of the Indian Penal Code, including defamation, forgery, and criminal conspiracy. Reports indicate that the First Information Report (FIR) names Khera and “unknown others” as defendants, including allegations of false statements related to elections, cheating, and various forgery-related offenses.
The complaint emphasizes that Khera’s actions do not constitute “protected political criticism.” The timing of this controversy is notable, occurring just two days prior to the Assembly elections in Assam scheduled for April 9.
In light of Khera’s absence, Chief Minister Sarma remarked, “He fled from Guwahati yesterday. I learned through the media that police have visited his residence in Delhi, but he has escaped to Hyderabad. The law will take its course.”
Riniki Bhuyan Sharma stated on Monday that the passport images shared by Khera were generated by artificial intelligence and were fabricated. She criticized the Congress party, claiming, “It appears that they have resorted to defaming people using AI and Photoshop. This behavior is shameful and sets a poor example for Assamese society.”
A Congress leader close to Khera expressed to The Indian Express that Khera’s allegations warrant investigation rather than police raids, noting that he is currently not in Delhi.
Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jairam Ramesh posted on social media, calling the police action a “witch hunt” and asserting that the Assam Chief Minister is using state resources to suppress dissent. He contended that such intimidation reflects fear and an attempt to conceal wrongdoing.
Union Minister of State for External Affairs and BJP leader from Assam, Pabitra Margherita, held a press conference in Jorhat where he asserted that the documents attributed to Riniki Bhuyan Sharma are “false and fabricated.” He encouraged the public to discredit claims regarding the authenticity of these documents, stating that thorough verification confirmed they were manipulated.
Chief Minister Sarma announced intentions to pursue legal action against Khera. He claimed that his team conducted a reverse search on the ID number from the alleged UAE document, discovering that it originally belonged to an Egyptian national and had been shared on a “Pakistani” Facebook group as a lost document. He added that a similar search on the MRZ code of the purported Egyptian passport indicated it belonged to a different individual, highlighting inconsistencies such as a mismatch in birth year and an alleged listing of “Indian” as the place of birth. He also suggested that the images were altered.
Sarma later indicated that the Union government has sought clarifications from the governments of the three countries involved, all of which have reportedly indicated that the documents are not genuine.
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