New Delhi [India], April 8 : National Student Union of India (NSUI) workers on Tuesday staged a protest outside Assam Bhawan against the search conducted by Assam Police at the residence of Congress leader Pawan Khera.
During the protest, the 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 lashed out at the BJP-led government and termed Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma as "disturbed, desperate, and rattled" following the arrival of an Assam Police team at the Delhi residence of Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera on Tuesday.
The police action stems from a high-profile "passport row" involving the family of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. The police visit to Khera's home in Nizamuddin East follows a criminal defamation FIR filed by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, the wife of the Assam CM.
In an 'X' post, he criticised "deployment" of police officials outside Pawan Khera's residence, adding that a "witch hunt" of a "bully" using state machinery to "muzzle and silence the voice of the Opposition that is exposing his many black deeds."
"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 Ramesh wrote on 'X'.
Congress leader Deepak Bhardwaj too criticised the deployment of Assam police, calling it a recurring issue. He said Congress workers from across the capital are gathering in full strength to show their support for the senior party leader.
Speaking to ANI, Bhardwaj said," As you know, Assam has become a huge issue, where police have been sent from Assam to Delhi for Pawan Khera. This isn't the first time this has happened. It has happened many times that police from BJP-ruled states are sent for Congress leaders. But today, all the workers of the Delhi Congress have gathered here. All the Congress workers will reach here in maximum numbers and stand here in support of Pawan Khera."
Congress leader Supriya Shrinate also questioned Assam Police's action in the matter, asking CM Himanta to answer the serious allegations levelled by Pawan Khera against him instead of "threatening" and using "obscene 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 dirty abuses, making strange expressions, and trying to threaten people? Why is your police coming to Delhi to threaten? Hey, serious corruption allegations have been made against you and your familyrespond to them. We are not making any out-of-India allegations; these are being made with witnesses and evidence," said Shrinate.
Incumbent MLA and Raijor Dal chief Akhil Gogoi too condemned the state government's actions as authoritarian, likening them to a "Hitler-style government."
Speaking to the media, Akhil Gogoi said all people of Assam would vote for the Opposition, accusing the Chief Minister of hiding behind the police. He added that Pawan Khera's questions deserved direct answers. He also suggested that, based on the Chief Minister's body language, his wife had accumulated these assets and asserted that the Gogoi family would form the government, with all three Gogois winning.
Two days ago, Pawan Khera held a press conference alleging that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma holds three passports (from India, the UAE, and Egypt) and owns undisclosed luxury properties in Dubai and a company in Wyoming, USA. The Sarma family has vehemently rejected these claims, labelling the documents shared by Khera as "AI-generated fabrications" and "doctored images" sourced from Pakistani social media groups.
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