National Students Union of India (NSUI) workers on Tuesday staged a protest outside Assam Bhawan against the search conducted by Assam Police at Congress leader Pawan Khera’s residence.
During the protest, workers also burned an effigy of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and expressed their opposition to the police action.
Earlier, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh criticized the BJP-led government and described Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma as “disturbed, desperate and shaken” after an Assam Police team arrived at Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera’s residence in Delhi on Tuesday.
The police action stems from the high-profile “passport dispute” involving the family of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The police visit to Khera’s house in Nizamuddin East district comes in the wake of a criminal defamation case filed by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, the wife of the Assam chief minister.
Read also | “He escaped,” says Sarma as Assam Police arrive at Pawan Khera’s residence in Delhi
In X’s post, he criticized the “deployment” of police officials outside Pawan Khera’s house, adding a “witch hunt” for the “bully” using state machinery to “muzzle and silence the voice of dissent that exposes his many dark deeds”.
“Deploying an entire army of police officials to arrest my colleague Pawan Khera for asking basic questions for the greater good proves that the Assam Chief Minister is disturbed, desperate and agitated. This is not due process but instead a witch hunt, a bully using state machinery to muzzle and silence the voice of dissent that exposes his many dark deeds. Those who are intimidated are the ones who are afraid and have a lot to hide. It also proves that the Prime Minister faces imminent defeat,” wrote Jairam Ramesh on ‘X’.
Congress leader Deepak Bhardwaj also criticized the deployment of Assam Police, terming it a recurring issue. He said Congress workers from across the capital are gathering in full force to show their support to the senior party leader.
Speaking to ANI, Bhardwaj said: “As you know, Assam has become a big problem, as police have been sent from Assam to Delhi for Pawan Khera. This is not the first time this has happened. It has happened several times that police have been sent from BJP-ruled states for Congress leaders. But today, all Delhi Congress workers have gathered here. All Congress workers will reach here in maximum possible number and stand here in support of Pawan Khera.”
Read also | Fierce battle over RSS comments of Mallikarjun Kharge, Pawan Khera’s claims on Assam CM’s wife
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate also questioned the actions of Assam Police in the matter and asked CM Himanta to respond to the serious allegations made by Pawan Khera against him instead of “threatening” and using “vulgar language”.
“Serious corruption allegations have been made against Himanta Biswa Sarma, with witnesses and evidence. Pawan Khera ji has made some allegations. Please respond to them. Why are you using these filthy abuses, uttering strange things, trying to threaten people? Why are the police coming to Delhi to threaten? Hey, serious corruption allegations have been made against you and your family – respond to them. We are not making any allegations outside India, they are being made through witnesses and evidence,” Shrinate said.
Current MLA and Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi also condemned the state government’s actions as authoritarian, likening it to a “Hitler-style government”.
Speaking to the media, Akhil Gogoi said that all the people of Assam will vote for the opposition, accusing the Prime Minister of hiding behind the police. He added that Pawan Khera’s questions deserve direct answers. He also pointed out that based on the Prime Minister’s body language, his wife had pooled these assets and assured that the Gogoi family would form the government, with the three Gogois winning.
Two days ago, Pawan Khera held a press conference in which he claimed that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma holds three passports (from India, the UAE and Egypt) and owns undisclosed luxury real estate in Dubai and a company in Wyoming, USA. Sarma’s family has strongly rejected the allegations, describing the documents shared by Khaira as “fabricated by artificial intelligence” and “fake images” sourced from Pakistani social media groups.
