Assam CM rejects Pawan Khera allegations, calls documents fabricated

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma dismissed allegations by Congress leader Pawan Khera, calling related documents fabricated and manipulated, while highlighting inconsistencies. Khera had alleged undisclosed foreign assets and multiple passports linked to Sarma’s family

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Sunday strongly refuted allegations made by Congress leader Pawan Khera, terming the documents circulated against his family as “fabricated” and part of a “malicious propaganda campaign.”

In a post on X, Sarma claimed that the documents being shared publicly contain “glaring inconsistencies” that point towards “crude and poorly executed digital manipulation.”

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Highlighting the discrepancies, the Chief Minister said the surname in the documents was incorrectly written as “Sarma” instead of the official “Sharma,” raising questions about their authenticity.

He further noted that the photograph used appeared to be a publicly available image rather than a standard biometric capture. Sarma also flagged anomalies in the alleged UAE identity details, including inconsistencies in the ID sequence that do not align with the expected year-of-birth pattern.

Additionally, he pointed out a mismatch in nationality, where the document reportedly lists Egypt while the machine-readable zone (MRZ) reflects a different country code.

Referring to an alleged Antigua and Barbuda passport, Sarma said there was a discrepancy between the expiry date mentioned in the printed field and the MRZ.

Similarly, in the case of an Egyptian passport, he cited inconsistencies between the printed section and the MRZ, including spelling errors such as “Egyptiann” and incorrect Arabic references.

The Chief Minister also questioned the validity of a title deed being circulated, stating that its QR code does not resolve to any authentic record. “These inconsistencies strongly indicate possible fabrication or digital manipulation,” Sarma said, asserting that “truth will prevail” and warning that those spreading misinformation would be held accountable.

Expressing confidence, he added that Pawan Khera’s “campaign of falsehood is nearing its end,” and alleged that the Congress leader could face legal consequences.

The controversy erupted after Khera alleged irregularities involving the Chief Minister’s family, claims which Sarma has categorically denied.

Earlier, addressing a press conference in Delhi, Khera had alleged that Sarma’s wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, holds passports of three countries, the UAE, Antigua, and Egypt and claimed that certain overseas assets, including properties in Dubai, were not disclosed in official filings.

He also alleged that a company registered in Wyoming in the United States is linked to Sarma and claimed that it involves financial dealings worth thousands of crores of dollars.

The Congress leader termed the matter a case of alleged concealment of assets and sought a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe by the Union Home Ministry.