'He Ran Away': Assam Police Raid Pawan Khera's Delhi Home as Congress Cries 'Witch Hunt'

The explosive political controversy surrounding Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has officially crossed state lines and escalated into a major law enforcement operation.

On Tuesday afternoon, April 7, 2026, a joint team of Assam Police and Delhi Police descended upon the Nizamuddin East residence of senior Congress leader Pawan Khera. The search operation was executed just 48 hours before Assam voters head to the polls.

The Delhi Raid and 'Incriminating' Documents

The police action is the direct result of a formal First Information Report (FIR) lodged by Riniki Bhuyan Sarma, the wife of the Assam Chief Minister. Just days prior, Khera held high-profile press conferences claiming she possessed three active foreign passports (UAE, Egypt, and Antigua & Barbuda) and undisclosed offshore properties.

A four-member Assam Crime Branch team, led by DCP Dr. Debajit Nath, arrived at the national capital and formally requested assistance from the local Delhi Police before executing the search.

While authorities confirmed they seized some "incriminating documents" from the premises, their primary target was notably absent. Police confirmed that Khera was not present at his residence during the operation, forcing the investigative team to wait on-site.

'He Ran Away' vs. 'Witch Hunt'

The political mudslinging immediately intensified as news of the raid broke. Addressing a public rally as the campaign trail drew to a close, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma utilized Khera's absence as political ammunition.

"He ran away from Guwahati yesterday. I have come to know through the media that the police have gone to his residence in Delhi, but he has run away to Hyderabad. The law will take its own course," Sarma declared to his supporters.

The Congress party retaliated fiercely, framing the police action as an egregious abuse of power. Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh took to social media, accusing the Assam CM of attempting to muzzle the opposition.

"The deployment of a full army of police officials to arrest my colleague Pawan Khera for asking basic questions in the public interest proves that the Assam CM is disturbed, desperate, and rattled," Ramesh stated, calling the raid a "witch hunt" executed by a state machinery facing "imminent defeat."

The BIGSTORY Reframe — Flipping the News Cycle

While the legality of the passport documents remains heavily disputed, the true "Missed Angle" in today's police raid is the sheer tactical brilliance of its timing.

April 7 marks the absolute final day of public campaigning before the state goes into its pre-election silence period ahead of the April 9 vote. By dispatching a police team to Delhi right at the finish line, the Assam CM has masterfully flipped the media script.

Instead of the final 24 hours of the news cycle focusing on Khera’s corruption allegations against the Chief Minister's family, every national and regional network is now broadcasting headlines about Pawan Khera allegedly "fleeing" from the police. It transforms the BJP's defensive posture into an aggressive, dominant narrative of enforcing law and order just as voters are making their final decisions.

What This Means for India

• The Normalization of Inter-State Raids: Deploying state police across borders to arrest or intimidate political rivals is rapidly becoming a standard playbook in Indian politics. It sets a dangerous precedent where state jurisdictions are actively weaponized during election seasons.
• The Burden of Proof: With Sarma claiming the Congress utilized documents fabricated by a "Pakistani social media group," the burden now shifts entirely onto the Congress to legally verify their explosive claims in court, rather than just at a press podium.
• Election Day Volatility: The raid ensures that the April 9 election will be conducted under extremely high-voltage polarization. With CBI probes active in neighboring Arunachal Pradesh and violent rhetoric peaking in West Bengal, the Northeast political corridor is experiencing unprecedented institutional friction.

Sources

News & Wire Coverage:

• The Times of India: Assam passport row: Police search Pawan Khera’s Delhi residence after FIR by Himanta’s wife
• The Indian Express: Assam Police searches Pawan Khera's Delhi home after complaint by CM Himanta's wife
• The Hindu: Assam Police at Pawan Khera's residence in New Delhi; Himanta says Congress leader 'ran away'
• Hindustan Times: 'He's run away', says Sarma as Assam Police reaches Pawan Khera's residence in Delhi