Himanta Biswa Sarma files Rs 500 crore defamation suit against Gaurav Gogoi and other Congress leaders

Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma

• Assam CM Sarma files Rs 500 crore defamation suit against Congress leaders
• Sarma alleges false, defamatory statements made in a press conference
• Congress yet to respond officially to Sarma's defamation proceedings

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Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday announced that he has initiated defamation proceedings seeking Rs 500 crore in damages against senior Congress leaders Jitendra Singh, Bhupesh Baghel and Gaurav Gogoi.

"Today, I have filed a defamation case seeking Rs 500 crore in damages against Congress leaders Jitendra Singh, Bhupesh Baghel and Gaurav Gogoi for making false, malicious and defamatory allegations against me through a press conference," the CM said in a post on X.

I am initiating civil and criminal defamation proceedings on 9 February 2026 against @JitendraSAlwar, @bhupeshbaghel, @GauravGogoiAsm and @DsaikiaOfficial for making false, malicious and defamatory statements against me in today’s press conference.

The era of hit-and-run… — Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) February 4, 2026

According to the CM, the era of hit-and-run politics is over.

"If they have even an ounce of courage or evidence, let them prove every allegation before a court of law. I will not be intimidated by propaganda, coordinated slander, or political theatrics of so called slaves of Gandhi family. The Congress, which has been aggressively targeting Sarma in recent weeks, is yet to issue an official response to the defamation suit," he said.

The Congress, which has been aggressively targeting Sarma in recent weeks, is yet to issue an official response to the defamation suit.

Meanwhile, Gogoi recently  stepped up his attack on the Chief Minister. Gogoi said Sarma’s alleged hate speech targeting Muslims, as well as the dragging of his minor children into the controversy over his purported links with Pakistan, were both “illegal".

Sarma earlier released findings from a Special Investigation Team (SIT) probe alleging that Gaurav Gogoi, his British wife, Elizabeth Colburn Gogoi, and a Pakistani national, Ali Tauqeer Sheikh, share "deep links".  "I was in Singapore with a proposal to invest in Assam. At that time, this photo went viral, showing Assam's MP Gaurav Gogoi taking some youth to the Pakistan Embassy. Abdul Basit was the then High Commissioner of Pakistan to India. In a manner, he attempted to legitimise Pakistan. If you see this photo in the backdrop of the Kargil War, Captain Jintu Gogoi from Assam sacrificed himself for the nation. Several others sacrificed themselves to the nation," the CM said.