Pawan Khera Flees Hyderabad as Assam Police Raids Delhi Home Amid Passport Scandal

Key Takeaways

• Assam Police team searches Delhi home of Pawan Khera but fails to locate the Congress leader.
• CM Himanta Sarma claims Khera fled to Hyderabad after the Pawan Khera search operation.
• Legal battle erupts over documents linking CM's wife to foreign assets in the Assam passport row.
• BJP backs the raid while Congress labels the action a "witch hunt" against the opposition.
• The conflict centers on allegations of forged documents and foreign passports held by Riniki Bhuyan Sharma.

The Assam Police team launched a search operation Tuesday at the New Delhi residence of Congress leader Pawan Khera, escalating a high-stakes political clash. The raid was conducted in connection with a case filed by Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, regarding alleged foreign passports and assets. Khera was not found at his Nizamuddin home, where the search was carried out with the assistance of the Delhi Police. Officials confirmed that electronic devices were seized during the operation, though specific details on incriminating material remain undisclosed.

The incident marks a sharp personal turn in the ongoing Assam passport row, which has consumed political capital in both Assam and New Delhi. An FIR was lodged in Guwahati late Sunday night following allegations by Khera and Assam Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi that Bhuyan Sharma holds multiple passports from the UAE, Egypt, and Antigua and Barbuda. The allegations also claimed she owns properties in Dubai and utilizes US shell companies for asset routing. Sarma has vehemently rejected these claims, dismissing the documents presented by the Congress as AI-generated forgeries.

DCP Debajit Nath of the Assam Police stated, "We will trace him wherever he is," indicating a determination to pursue the leader despite his absence. However, CM Sarma provided a specific update on Khera's whereabouts through media reports, stating, "I've come to know through media that police went to his residence in Delhi, but he ran away to Hyderabad." Sarma emphasized that while Khera had allegedly dared the Assam Police to arrest him, he has now evaded the law by fleeing the capital. The Chief Minister concluded by asserting that the law will take its own course regardless of where the fugitive is located.

The political fallout has been immediate and severe, with both the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress using the event to sharpen their attacks. The BJP stood firmly behind the police action, stating that anyone who makes fake allegations or questions the citizenship of the CM's wife must be ready to face consequences. A BJP spokesperson noted that Khera should have faced the police rather than running away after levelling such serious charges. Conversely, the Congress party condemned the raid as a "witch hunt," with senior leader Jairam Ramesh describing the deployment of a "full army of police officials" as proof that the CM is "disturbed, desperate, and rattled."

Congress ally Akhil Gogoi, president of the Raijor Dal, called for a CBI probe into the claims that the CM's family holds assets abroad. He accused Sarma of deflecting questions by using state machinery against Khera instead of answering directly. Ramesh added that the CM is acting like a bully using state power to muzzle the opposition, suggesting that the current actions are an attempt to silence scrutiny over the CM's own "black deeds." The clash has moved beyond policy disagreements, becoming a direct confrontation over personal credibility and the legitimacy of the accusations exchanged between the two camps.

Assam Passport Row Escalates into Legal Battle

The current situation suggests a trajectory where the legal proceedings will become increasingly complex as both sides dig in. If the allegations regarding the "AI-generated" documents are proven true by forensic experts, the political standing of the CM could face a significant backlash, potentially validating the opposition's claims of foreign asset routing. Conversely, if the search reveals evidence of the alleged foreign passports and shell companies, the narrative of "fake allegations" constructed by the ruling party could unravel. The flight of Pawan Khera to Hyderabad may be interpreted by the public as either a strategic evasion or a justified response to state pressure. As the Assam Police continue their investigation into the forgery charges under the BNS, the political climate in Assam is likely to remain volatile, with the upcoming court proceedings serving as the next major flashpoint in this intensifying dispute.