Assam Police probe finds Golden Card shown by Pawan Khera belonged to Pakistani citizen: Advocate General

The Gauhati High Court on April 24 rejected the anticipatory bail plea of Congress leader Pawan Khera in a case linked to allegations made against Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, with the Assam government claiming that fabricated documents were used during press conferences held earlier this month.

Following the court order, Advocate General of Assam Devajit Lon Saikia said the matter stemmed from statements made by Khera on April 5 during two separate press conferences — one at the AICC headquarters in New Delhi and another in Guwahati.

Saikia said Khera, who serves as a senior Congress spokesperson, made serious allegations against Riniki Bhuyan Sharma, claiming that she owned properties in Dubai and the United States and had investments worth Rs 52,000 crore. According to the Advocate General, Khera displayed documents during the media interaction, including passports and a UAE Golden Card, to support the claims.

He said that later the same night, Riniki Bhuyan Sharma lodged a formal complaint with Assam Police, following which authorities initiated immediate action.

“By 8 a.m. the next day, the Chief Minister himself addressed the media and dismissed the allegations as fabricated,” Saikia said, adding that Assam Police subsequently began an investigation into the documents presented during the press conferences.

According to the state’s submissions, the probe later found that the UAE Golden Card shown by Khera allegedly belonged to a Pakistani citizen who had reported it lost on March 28, several days before the Congress leader’s press conference.

The state government argued before the court that the case involved serious allegations backed by allegedly forged or misleading material, necessitating a thorough investigation.

Khera had approached the Gauhati High Court seeking anticipatory bail in connection with the FIR registered in Assam. However, the court declined to grant him pre-arrest relief, dealing a setback to the Congress leader amid the politically charged atmosphere in the state.

The ruling BJP, on the other hand, has defended the police action, saying the matter concerns defamation, alleged forgery and the spread of false claims against a private citizen.