Himanta Biswa Sarma to file defamation cases against Congress leaders on February 9 over alleged 'false claims'

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday, February 4, announced that he will initiate both civil and criminal defamation proceedings against senior Congress leaders, accusing them of making “false, malicious and defamatory” statements against him during a press conference earlier in the day.

In a strongly worded post on X, Sarma said the legal action would be filed on February 9, naming Jitendra Singh Alwar, Bhupesh Baghel, Gaurav Gogoi and Debabrata Saikia as respondents. The Chief Minister asserted that political allegations without substantiation would no longer go unanswered.

“I am initiating civil and criminal defamation proceedings on 9 February 2026 against Jitendra Singh Alwar, Bhupesh Baghel, Gaurav Gogoi and Debabrata Saikia for making false, malicious and defamatory statements against me in today’s press conference,” Sarma stated.

The Chief Minister said what he described as “hit-and-run politics” would not be tolerated, and challenged his critics to substantiate their claims in a court of law.

“If they have even an ounce of courage or evidence, let them prove every allegation before a court of law,” he said, adding that he would not be deterred by what he termed as propaganda and coordinated political attacks.

Sarma further asserted that intimidation and public allegations would not replace judicial scrutiny, underlining his decision to pursue legal recourse as a matter of principle rather than politics.