passport-row-assam-crime-branch-summons-cong-leader-surjewala

The Assam Crime Branch has summoned senior Indian National Congress leader and MP Randeep Singh Surjewala in connection with its investigation into a controversy surrounding the passport records of Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, wife of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. According to sources, the Crime Branch has directed Surjewala to appear before investigators in Guwahati on May 23 as part of the ongoing probe into allegations raised by Congress leaders regarding Riniki’s passport documents and citizenship status.

 

The development comes shortly after Congress leader Pawan Khera was questioned by the Crime Branch for several hours earlier this month in connection with the same matter. Investigators are believed to have relied on statements recorded during Khera’s interrogation while expanding the investigation.

 

Khera had earlier appeared before the Crime Branch Police Station in Guwahati after receiving a summons in the case. Following nearly eight hours of questioning, he stated that he had fully cooperated with investigators and confirmed that he had been asked to appear again on May 25.

 

The controversy began after Khera, during a press conference in April, alleged that Riniki Bhuyan Sarma possessed passports from India, the UAE, and Egypt, in addition to allegedly owning luxury properties in Dubai and maintaining links to a company based in Wyoming in the United States. The Sarma family strongly denied the allegations, describing the circulated documents as “AI-generated fabrications” allegedly spread through Pakistani social media networks.

 

Subsequently, criminal complaints were lodged against Khera at the Guwahati Crime Branch under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. The matter has since escalated into a major political confrontation between the BJP and the Congress in Assam.

 

While Congress leaders have alleged that the investigation is politically motivated and aimed at intimidating opposition voices, the BJP has defended the police action, asserting that the issue concerns accountability and responsible public discourse.