New Delhi, April 8 (NationPress) As the Assam Police ramps up its search for Congress leader Pawan Khera due to allegations described as "defamatory and malicious" against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma's spouse, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, the Congress figure emerged from seclusion on Wednesday. He called for the Chief Minister to address serious accusations against him and his wife instead of resorting to show of force and "hiding behind state police".

Pawan Khera, who had been elusive following a press conference in the politically charged state on Sunday, released a video statement asserting that he would not be intimidated by such maneuvers and would persist in his questioning.

The Congress party disseminated Khera's video statement on their X account, reportedly filmed from an undisclosed location. In it, the Chairman of the Media and Publicity Department urged the Assam Chief Minister, "Rather than clarifying the serious allegations, you have unleashed your police force. However, we, the loyalists of Rahul Gandhi, will not be intimidated."

Following his explosive claims against the Chief Minister's wife, Khera has come under the scrutiny of Assam police and has been charged under 14 sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), encompassing defamation, forgery, and criminal conspiracy.

On Tuesday, Assam Police conducted a search of Khera's residence in Delhi, and on Wednesday, barricades were erected outside his residence in Hyderabad.

In his response to the police pursuit, Khera remarked, "Approximately 100 police officers searched my modest home in Delhi, seizing an old phone, laptop, pen drives, and an iPad."

In a direct message to the Assam Chief Minister, Khera stated, "You are dispatching your police wherever I go. Why are you attempting to silence our (Congress) voice? You should initiate an investigation into the charges, yet you are sending your police to apprehend us. We will not be cowed by your hollow threats. We are Congressmen, we are soldiers of Rahul Gandhi."

He emphasized that he would continue to evade the Assam Police as he wishes to keep questioning and urged Chief Minister Sarma to investigate the charges, asserting that "the documents and internet domains containing these incriminating details are all publicly accessible".

In a show of solidarity, the Congress party backed Pawan Khera, challenging the Assam CM with, "If you possess the courage, respond to them—hiding behind the police and using vulgar language will get you nowhere."

"The people of Assam are already aware of your entire sordid narrative—they will express their judgment against you tomorrow (during the Assam polls)," it added.

The controversy, along with the filed FIR and police searches, erupted following Khera's press conference on Sunday, where he alleged that Chief Minister Sarma's spouse, Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, possessed three passports, undisclosed luxury properties in Dubai, and shell companies in the United States.