‘He fled’, says Assam CM after police arrive at Pawan Khera’s Delhi residence

Guwahati, Apr 7: With hours left for campaigning to end for the Assam Assembly elections, the political confrontation between the BJP and Congress escalated sharply on Tuesday.

Police teams reached Congress leader Pawan Khera’s residence in New Delhi following an FIR filed by Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma.

According to reports, a joint team of Delhi Police and Assam Police arrived at Khera’s residence. However, he was not present at the time, and officials were seen waiting outside the premises.

The development comes a day after Riniki Bhuyan Sarma lodged a complaint at Pan Bazar Crime Branch in Guwahati over allegations made by Khera regarding her citizenship and assets.

Reacting to the police action, 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.

“Pawan Khera fled yesterday morning. He took a 6 am flight from Delhi to Hyderabad,” Sarma claimed.

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 stems from claims made by Khera on Sunday, in which he alleged that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma possessed multiple foreign passports in violation of Indian citizenship laws.

Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi, Khera had alleged that the Chief Minister’s wife held passports from the UAE, Egypt and Antigua and Barbuda, and owned properties in Dubai as well as assets in shell companies in the United States.

Denying the allegations, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma on Monday confirmed filing an FIR and sought 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 had said.

Earlier on April 6, Sarma also alleged at a press conference in Guwahati that the charges were politically motivated and aimed at influencing the ongoing elections, calling them “punishable under the law”.

The episode has further sharpened the BJP-Congress war of words in the final stretch of campaigning, adding a legal dimension to an already high-voltage contest.