Kokrajhar

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday filed a defamation suit seeking Rs 500 crore in damages against Congress leaders Gaurav Gogoi, Jitendra Singh and Bhupesh Baghel, alleging that they made “false, malicious and defamatory” statements against him during a press conference.

The suit has been filed against Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi, AICC general secretary Jitendra Singh and former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel.

Speaking to reporters, Sarma said the Congress leaders had levelled baseless allegations and should present evidence before a court of law.

“Gaurav Gogoi made certain allegations against me. I said there is no point in fighting before the media. If there is anything against me, it should be proved in court. I have now given them that opportunity,” Sarma said.

The chief minister also announced the legal action through a post on X, stating that he had filed a defamation case seeking Rs 500 crore in damages against the three Congress leaders for making false and defamatory allegations.

In another post, Sarma said, “If Congress leaders believe they can get away with making baseless accusations, that is not the case. If there is evidence, it should be produced before the court.”

Meanwhile, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee lodged a police complaint on Tuesday at Dispur Police Station against the BJP and Chief Minister Sarma, alleging that a social media post shared by the party was provocative and communal in nature.

In the complaint, APCC leaders Sibamoni Bora and Diganta Bauman said that on February 7, the official X handle of BJP Assam (@BJP4Assam) shared content allegedly portraying the chief minister symbolically firing at members of the Muslim community.

According to the complaint, the content carried overlaid text with phrases such as “foreigner-free Assam”, “no mercy”, “why did you not go to Pakistan?” and “there is no forgiveness for Bangladeshis”, which, it alleged, targeted Bengal-origin Muslims and could inflame communal sentiments.

The Congress leaders alleged that the content was highly provocative and had the potential to disturb communal harmony in the state.

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The APCC has urged the police to register a case under relevant sections of law and take appropriate action in the matter.