New Delhi: As the Assam Police intensifies search operation for Congress leader Pawan Khera over “defamatory and malicious” charges against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, the Congress leader came out of hiding on Wednesday and demanded that the Chief Minister replies to grave charges against him and his wife, rather than muscle-flexing and “hiding behind the state police”.
Pawan Khera, who has been untraceable after holding a press conference in the poll-bound state on Sunday, issued a video statement and said that he won’t be intimated by such tactics and will keep asking questions.
The Congress shared Pawan Khera’s video statement on its X account, purportedly recorded from an undisclosed location, in which its Media and Publicity Department Chairman tells the Assam Chief Minister, “Instead of clarifying on grave allegations, you have unleashed your police. But, we, the soldiers of Rahul Gandhi won’t get cowered down.”
The Congress leader has been under the radar of Assam police after his sensational charges against Chief Minister Sarma’s wife and has also been booked under 14 sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including defamation, forgery and criminal conspiracy.
On Tuesday, the Assam Police searched Pawan Khera’s Delhi residence while on Wednesday, barricades were put outside the Congress leader’s residence in Hyderabad.
Responding to the police hunt, Khera said, “About 100 policemen searched my small residence in Delhi, they picked up an old phone, laptop, pen drives and iPad.”
In a message to Assam Chief Minister, Congress leader Khera said, “You are sending your police, wherever I go. Why do you want to silence our (Congress) voice. You should initiate investigation into the charges but you are sending your police to catch us. We won’t get intimidated by your empty threats. We are the Congressmen, we are the soldiers of Rahul Gandhi.”
He noted that he will continue to avoid the Assam Police because he wants to keep asking questions and asked Chief Minister Sarma to probe the charges as “the documents and internet domains where these damning details are mentioned are all in public domain”.
The Congress also, throwing its weight behind Pawan Khera, asked the Assam CM, “If you have the guts, answer them — hiding behind the police and spewing indecent language won’t get you anywhere.”
“The people of Assam already know your full dirty story — they will deliver their verdict against you tomorrow (in Assam polls),” it added.
The controversy, subsequent FIR and police raids began after Pawan Khera’s press conference on Sunday, in which he claimed that Chief Minister Sarma’s wife Riniki Bhuyan Sarma held three passports, undeclared luxury properties in Dubai and also shell companies in the US.
(IANS)
