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Guwahati, April 5 (IANS) Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, wife of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, on Sunday hit back at Congress leader Pawan Khera over his allegations, accusing him of circulating “poorly fabricated” documents and warning of legal action.
In a post on X, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma said there were glaring flaws not only in the claims made but also in the alleged documents being shared.
“Aapki sirf tapasya mein hi nahi, AI generation aur photoshopping mein bhi kami reh gayi, (You fell short not only in your penance, but also in AI generation and Photoshopping),” she wrote, taking a swipe at Khera. She further said that as a spokesperson of a national party, Khera was expected to exercise basic due diligence instead of spreading what she termed as “imaginary passports and documents.”
“I expected a spokesperson of a national party to exercise basic due diligence, rather than circulate poorly fabricated images of imaginary passports and documents,” she said in the post.
Riniki Bhuyan Sarma asserted that the matter would now be dealt with legally. “I will now be letting the law take over. Criminal charges are being initiated. We can continue this in court,” she added, tagging Khera and the Congress party.
Her response comes amid a political row triggered by Khera’s allegations involving the Assam Chief Minister’s family, which have been strongly denied by both Himanta Biswa Sarma and his wife.
The Chief Minister also 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, CM Sarma claimed that the documents being shared publicly contain “glaring inconsistencies” that point towards “crude and poorly executed digital manipulation.”
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. CM 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, CM 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,” Chief Minister Sarma said, asserting that “truth will prevail” and warning that those spreading misinformation would be held accountable.
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.
