An Assam Police team on Tuesday reached the Delhi residence of Congress leader Pawan Khera in connection with a case linked to allegations against Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, even as the chief minister claimed that Khera had “fled” the national capital ahead of the Assam Assembly polls.
Official sources said the Assam Police team informed Delhi Police upon arrival, following which a local police unit joined and assisted in the proceedings. However, Khera was not present at his residence when the teams arrived, with officials seen waiting outside.
The action follows an FIR lodged by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma at the Pan Bazar Crime Branch in Guwahati over allegations made by Khera regarding her citizenship and assets.
Reacting to the development, Sarma alleged that Khera had left Delhi. “Pawan Khera fled yesterday morning. He took a 6 am flight from Delhi to Hyderabad,” he claimed while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a campaign event in Demow in Assam's Sivasagar district.
The chief minister also asserted that the allegations against his wife had been disproved. “It has been proven that all the documents are fake. Egypt has said that it’s a fake passport. Dubai has echoed a similar response. The United States has confirmed that there are no assets owned by Riniki in the country. So, it’s all fake. Till the day before, he dared us to arrest him, but now he has fled,” Sarma said.
The controversy stems from claims made by Khera, who heads the Congress media department, alleging that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma held multiple foreign passports and had overseas assets. Addressing a press conference earlier, Khera alleged that she possessed passports from the UAE, Egypt and Antigua and Barbuda, and owned properties in Dubai along with assets in shell companies in the United States.
Denying the allegations, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma confirmed filing the FIR and called for strict action. “I have taken legal action. I have lodged an FIR against them. I urge Assam Police to get in touch with the MEA so that everything can be proved. This is not to be treated leniently. Let justice prevail,” she said.
She also told ANI that the allegations were part of an attempt by the Opposition to “set up a playbook,” reiterating that “let justice prevail”.
Sarma further alleged that the Congress used “false information” sourced from a Pakistani social media group to target his family. “Why did you take help from a Pakistani social media group? So whatever has been said about us, we will go to court, everything, but my allegation is why is Pakistan helping Gaurav Gogoi,” he said.
He also indicated possible legal action against Khera. “I will take stringest action against Congress leader Pawan Khera, just wait for some days. We will win at least 100 seats in the elections,” the chief minister said.
Earlier, Sarma had termed the allegations politically motivated and aimed at influencing the ongoing elections, calling them “punishable under the law”.
The episode has intensified the political confrontation between the BJP and Congress in the final hours of campaigning for the Assam Assembly elections scheduled for April 9, adding a legal dimension to an already high-stakes contest.