‘Simple reverse search exposed forgery’: Assam CM details ‘forged documents’ row

Guwahati, Apr 6: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Monday, gave a detailed account of how alleged forged documents circulated by Congress leaders were identified and debunked, terming the episode a “clear attempt to mislead voters ahead of elections.”

Explaining the sequence in a press conference from Vajpayee Bhawan, Sarma said the claims began to fall apart after basic digital verification.

“A simple reverse search of the passport number revealed the original details, which did not match at all. That is how the truth started coming out,” he said.

According to him, multiple discrepancies were found in the documents. One of the key anomalies was that the document presented as a UAE passport was fundamentally flawed.

“The UAE does not issue passports to outsiders. It gives visas like the Golden Visa. Presenting it as a passport itself exposes the fabrication,” he stated.

He further pointed out inconsistencies in identification numbers. “In such IDs, certain digits indicate the year of birth. In this case, the number corresponded to 1996, whereas the actual year is 1973. This mismatch clearly shows manipulation,” Sarma said.

The Chief Minister added that another document was traced to an Egyptian citizen, with the original details still embedded.

“While the English portions were altered, the Arabic details remained unchanged, exposing the forgery,” he noted.

Sarma also highlighted technical flaws such as barcode mismatches, absence of official watermarks, and inconsistencies in facial features, saying these errors made the fabrication evident.

The Chief Minister further claimed that the materials were sourced from a Pakistan-based social media group, where such documents had been uploaded earlier.

“The timeline shows that these were picked up and modified. Even the upload history is traceable,” he said.

Another crucial point, he said, was the timing of a company cited in the allegations. “The so-called company had no existence earlier. It appeared just days before the press conference, with no prior records,” he added.

To demonstrate how easily such claims can be manufactured, Sarma said a similar entity was created in the name of a Congress leader within hours, reinforcing his argument that such records cannot be treated as proof.

"We've opened a fake company by name 'Gaurav Elizabeth 786'. Anybody can make it. Please do try," he urged the press.

Calling the episode “a politically motivated fabrication,” Sarma asserted that the truth was uncovered through basic verification, technical scrutiny, and timeline analysis, adding that legal action would follow.