Pawan Khera vs Himanta Biswa Sarma: Assam Police arrive at Congress leader's Delhi home amid Riniki Sarma's passport row

A team of Assam Police, accompanied by some personnel from Delhi Police, reached the Delhi residence of Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera on Tuesday, 7 April, a day after a political storm erupted over alleged passport irregularities linked to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's wife.

Assembly elections are due in Assam in two days.

The four-member Assam police team arrived at Khera's home in Nizamuddin East, where they waited after reportedly finding he was not present, news agency ANI said.

Talking to reporters, Sarma alleged, "He ran away from Guwahati yesterday. I have come to know through the media that the police have gone to his residence in Delhi, but he has run away to Hyderabad. The law will take its own course."

The visit follows a formal complaint filed by Assam CM's wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, after Khera alleged that she holds three passports and owns undisclosed properties in the UAE – claims the Sarma family has flatly denied as AI-generated fabrications.

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took to microblogging platform X (formerly Twitter) to express opposition to the police visit at Pawan Khera's Delhi residence.

"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." Jairam Ramessh wrote on X.

What Pawan Khera Alleged Against Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma's Wife

The controversy dates back to a press conference held by Khera two days prior, in which he claimed that Riniki Sarma holds three passports. Khera also shared images of documents that he said showed properties in her name in the UAE and a company registered in Wyoming, US — none of which, he alleged, were disclosed in Sarma's election affidavit.

The timing was pointed: the claims came just days before Assam goes to the polls on 9 April for Assembly elections across the state.

Riniki Bhuyan Sarma Calls Documents AI-Generated, Hits Back at Congress

Riniki Sarma wasted no time in pushing back. On Monday, she said the passport images shared by Khera were AI-generated and doctored, and delivered a pointed rebuke to the Congress party.

"It seems that a mad dog has bitten them, and from the top rung of the Congress to the lowest rung, I believe that they don't have anything else to do except defaming people, that too with AI-generated and total photoshop," she told media persons.

"One more thing, which they have done well, is set up a playbook. It is an example set to the entire Assamese society by a very veteran party, which is very shameful. I think they have gone berserk. For the last two years, they have been doing every little thing to defame me, my daughter, my son; we are nowhere related to politics."

Himanta Biswa Sarma Calls Claims False and Politically Motivated

Sarma, speaking before heading out on the campaign trail on Monday, called Khera's allegations "false" and "politically motivated." He went further, offering a detailed counter-narrative based on his team's own investigation.

Addressing a press conference in Guwahati on Monday, CM Sarma vowed to take "stringent action" against Khera. "I will take stringent action against Congress leader Pawan Khera. Just wait for some days. We will win at least 100 seats in the elections." Sarma said.

Sarma claimed that a reverse Google search on the ID number from the alleged UAE document revealed that the original belonged to an Egyptian national, whose image had reportedly been shared on a Pakistani Facebook group as a lost document. A similar reverse search on the MRZ code of the purported Egyptian document, he said, pointed to an entirely different woman.

He also cited a series of discrepancies in the documents themselves — including a mismatch in the birth year and one alleged passport listing the place of birth as "Indian." The photographs, he maintained, had been doctored.

"Congress is finished in Assam. Just look at the 'Satta Bazar' rate yesterday. After making this allegation, the seats for NDA went up to 99. In the morning, it was 94 for NDA. By night, it became 99. Just an indication, today there will be more people in my meeting. Congress had trapped VP Singh's son in the same way," Sarma said.

Union Government Seeks Clarification From Three Countries

CM Sarma said on Monday that the Union government had sought clarification from the governments of the three countries referenced in the documents.

According to CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, all three governments indicated that the documents in question are not genuine.

Riniki Bhuyan Files Complaint, Assam Police Act

Following Congre leader Pawan Khera's press conference, Assam CM's wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma filed a formal complaint, which prompted the Assam Police team's visit to Delhi.

Assam is scheduled to hold Assembly elections on April 9, with campaigning ending today evening and vote counting set for May 4.