Amidst the escalating Assam Passport Row, Assam Police raided Pawan Khera's Delhi residence only to find the Congress leader had already fled to Hyderabad.
In a significant escalation of political tensions, an Assam Police team descended upon the New Delhi residence of Congress leader Pawan Khera on Tuesday. The search was conducted in connection with a case filed by CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma. Despite the presence of Delhi Police assistance, Pawan Khera was not found at his Nizamuddin residence during the operation. DCP Debajit Nath assured the media that the police would trace him wherever he is, though reports indicate he has fled to Hyderabad.
The raid marks a pivotal moment in the ongoing Assam Passport Row, which originated from an FIR lodged in Guwahati around midnight on Sunday. The case was initiated after Pawan Khera and Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi alleged that Riniki Bhuyan Sharma holds passports from the UAE, Egypt, and Antigua and Barbuda, owns properties in Dubai, and has assets routed through US shell companies. During the Tuesday operation, police seized electronic devices from the site. DCP Nath stated that some incriminating material was found, though he could not disclose specific details at this stage.
CM Sarma has firmly rejected the allegations leveled against his family, calling the documents presented by Congress as AI-generated fakes. In a statement addressing the current situation, Sarma noted that while Pawan Khera had previously dared the Assam Police to arrest him, he has since fled the capital. "Khera had dared Assam Police to arrest him, but I've come to know through media that police went to his residence in Delhi, but he ran away to Hyderabad. The law will take its own course," Sarma said. The Chief Minister's comments underscore the severity of the clash, which has now evolved into a direct confrontation involving state machinery.
The political fallout has drawn sharp reactions from across the spectrum. Congress ally Akhil Gogoi, president of the Raijor Dal, called for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe. He accused the CM of deflecting questions and suggested that Pawan Khera's inquiries should be answered directly without reliance on police action. "The CM doesn't have the courage and is using police instead," Gogoi added, intensifying the demand for scrutiny into allegations regarding the CM's family assets abroad. Meanwhile, the BJP has thrown its support behind the police action, asserting that if someone makes fake allegations or questions the citizenship of the CM's wife, they must be ready to face the consequences. The ruling party emphasized that Pawan Khera should face the police rather than running away after levelling serious charges.
Opposition voices have sharpened their demands for scrutiny, with senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh describing the deployment of a "full army of police officials" as an act of desperation. Ramesh argued that the action against Pawan Khera for asking basic questions in the public interest proves the CM is disturbed 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," Ramesh stated. The Congress leadership framed the incident as a clear attempt to silence dissent rather than a legitimate legal pursuit.
The Assam Passport Row has thus transformed into a broader battle over political accountability and the use of state resources. The clash over alleged foreign assets and the authenticity of documents has moved beyond simple political sparring into a legal and media battleground. As the investigation continues, the focus remains on the validity of the allegations regarding multiple passports and the extent of foreign assets held by the CM's family versus the charges of forgery leveled under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
The current trajectory of this conflict suggests a deepening crisis for both the ruling party and the opposition in Assam. With the CM accusing the opposition of fabricating evidence and the opposition branding the police action a witch hunt, the path to resolution through standard political channels appears closed. The fledgling of Pawan Khera to Hyderabad complicates the immediate legal proceedings, potentially prolonging the duration of the case as authorities work to locate him. If the police can establish the authenticity of the documents presented by the opposition or definitively prove their fabrication, the long-term impact could range from legal consequences for the accused to a potential shift in the public's trust in the administration's handling of foreign asset transparency. The situation remains volatile, with the outcome likely to influence the political landscape of the region significantly in the coming months.
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