‘Is this the strength of Himanta Biswa Sarma?’: Gaurav Gogoi questions police seizure of Congress chargesheet

The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has accused the state government of suppressing political dissent after police seized copies of a Congress chargesheet targeting Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and detained four party workers in Guwahati.

The documents, which contain allegations of corruption against Sarma and his wife, were reportedly being transported for public distribution when police intercepted the vehicle late Sunday night. Four Congress workers travelling in the vehicle were detained and later arrested.

Reacting to the development, APCC president Gaurav Gogoi alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government was preventing the Opposition from presenting its case before the public.

Speaking at a press conference in Delhi, Gogoi said the seizure of the pamphlets showed that the government was “frightened by a few sheets of paper”.

“The Chief Minister tries to portray himself as a very brave and powerful leader. But some pamphlets published by the Assam Congress have been seized by Himanta Biswa Sarma’s police,” Gogoi said. “The chargesheet highlighting the failures of the ruling party has been seized. Is this the strength and courage of Himanta Biswa Sarma?”

The Congress leader further described the BJP government as an “authoritarian regime” and claimed the public would respond politically in the 2026 Assembly elections.

Following the incident, Assam Mahila Congress president Meera Borthakur and APCC media department chairman Bedabrat Bora visited Dispur Police Station to seek clarification on the seizure.

Borthakur said the chargesheet had been formally released at a press conference during the recent visit of Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi to Assam. The printed copies were being transported for distribution when police allegedly stopped the vehicle and detained the workers.

“We had formally released the chargesheet through a press conference and explained what the BJP has done and what it has failed to do for public welfare,” she said. “The copies were printed yesterday and were being transported in a truck when the police detained the vehicle.”

Questioning the action, Borthakur asked why the police intervened when the Election Commission had not raised any objection.

“If there is any objection, it should be raised by the Election Commission of India. Has the Election Commission taken suo motu action? Certainly not,” she said, adding that the Opposition has the responsibility to inform people about the government’s record.

Borthakur also alleged that the chargesheet raises serious questions about alleged transfers of tribal land to the Adani Group and the alleged accumulation of wealth by the Chief Minister’s wife. If the allegations were incorrect, she said, the government should respond point by point rather than seizing the documents.

“Seizing the document will not stop the Congress from taking the truth to the people. The information has already spread digitally,” she said.

Meanwhile, the four Congress workers detained during the incident — Pranjit Pator, Akshay Kumar Bordoloi, Zainal Abedin and Rakibul Haque — were produced in court after being arrested by police on Monday. Two of them are members of the National Students’ Union of India.

The APCC said it has filed bail applications and argued in court that the workers should be granted bail and placed under judicial custody instead of police custody. Advocate Amon Wadud represented the workers during the proceedings.

The Congress has also indicated that it may pursue legal action over the seizure of the chargesheets and the arrest of the party workers.