Congress cries ‘witch hunt’ as Assam Police search Pawan Khera’s Delhi home

New Delhi, Apr 7: Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh criticised the searches carried out by the Assam Police at party leader Pawan Khera's Delhi residence on Tuesday, stating that the "witch hunt" stands as proof that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is "facing imminent defeat".

Assam Police arrived at Khera's residence in Delhi earlier in the day amid the controversy over the party's claim that Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife holds three passports.

The searches came after Sarma's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, lodged an FIR over the issue on Monday.

Reacting to this, Ramesh took to social media and said, “The deployment of a full army of police officials to arrest my colleague Pawan Khera for asking basic questions in the public interest proves that the Assam CM is disturbed, desperate, and rattled."

"This is not due process but instead a witch hunt, a bully using state machinery to muzzle and silence the voice of the Opposition that is exposing his many black deeds. Those who intimidate are the ones who are afraid and have much to hide. It also proves that the CM is facing imminent defeat," the Congress General Secretary added.

Earlier in the day, Assam Police said that they could not find Congress leader Pawan Khera at his Delhi residence and his whereabouts are unknown, while the authorities are working to "trace him out".

Speaking to the press outside the Congress leader's residence in New Delhi, a police official said, "A case has been registered... We wanted to talk to Pawan Khera... We couldn't meet him as he is not here... We found some things in his house, but I will not disclose the details... We don't know where he is right now, but we will trace him out..."

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Sarma speaking to the press on the sidelines of a campaign event in Demow in Sivasagar district, alleged that Khera had “fled” the national capital.

He further asserted that the allegations made by the Congress leader 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,” the Chief Minister said.

The controversy erupted after Khera accused Sarma's wife of holding multiple foreign passports, a charge strongly denied by the Chief Minister and his family.

Congress leaders, including Gaurav Gogoi and Pawan Khera, have recently raised questions regarding alleged foreign assets and links of the Chief Minister's family, including claims about Dubai properties and foreign documents.

These allegations have been categorically denied by the Chief Minister and his family members. Sarma's wife, Riniki, has also rejected claims of any foreign business interests or assets, terming the accusations "baseless".

With inputs from IANS