Assam CM Defends Police Search for Pawan Khera

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma defended police efforts to locate Congress leader Pawan Khera on Thursday, stating that law enforcement was simply fulfilling its duty following a complaint filed by his wife, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma. The remarks came after polling ended for the state's single-phase Assembly elections, amid a heated controversy over allegations that Sharma holds multiple foreign passports and properties abroad.

Sarma addressed reporters at the BJP headquarters in Guwahati, emphasizing the legal basis for the police action. "If there is an FIR, it is the duty of the police to act on it," he said. "Police are slaves of the law, and they're going to the house of a person named in a case, which is legal. The police are paid salaries to go to the houses of criminals." The controversy stems from claims made by Khera last weekend, in which he alleged that Sharma possesses passports from the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Antigua and Barbuda, along with business interests worth thousands of crores in the United States and property in Dubai. Sharma filed an FIR with Assam Police on Monday, accusing Khera and others of defamation and using fabricated documents. A...