Assam CM to File Defamation Cases Against Congress Leaders
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has announced civil and criminal defamation cases against four senior Congress leaders following allegations made at a Guwahati press conference.
GUWAHATI- Political tensions in Assam escalated on Tuesday after Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that he would initiate both civil and criminal defamation proceedings against four senior Congress leaders on February 9, 2026.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Sarma accused the Congress leaders of making “false, malicious and defamatory statements” against him during a press conference held earlier in the day at Rajiv Bhawan, the state Congress headquarters in Guwahati.
The leaders named by the Chief Minister include Gaurav Gogoi, president of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee and a Lok Sabha MP; Bhupesh Baghel; Jitendra Singh Alwar, the All India Congress Committee general secretary in charge of Assam; and Debabrata Saikia, Leader of the Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly.
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
The announcement followed a press conference addressed by Gogoi, accompanied by the other Congress leaders, in which allegations were made against Sarma and members of his family. Gogoi claimed that the Chief Minister’s family had illegally occupied around 12,000 bighas—over 3,960 acres—of land across various parts of the state.
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During the same briefing, the Congress unveiled a digital platform, WhoIsHBS.com, aimed at highlighting what it described as alleged corruption, misuse of power, and governance failures under Sarma’s leadership. According to party sources, the website faced technical disruptions shortly after its launch, with claims that it may have been hacked, adding to the political controversy.
Responding to the allegations, Sarma rejected the claims as politically motivated and part of what he described as a coordinated attempt to malign him. In his post, he stated that he would pursue legal remedies and challenged the Congress leaders to substantiate their claims in court.
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The exchange marks a sharp escalation in the political confrontation between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress as the state moves closer to the 2026 Assam Assembly elections. While the Congress leadership has not issued a detailed formal response to the defamation announcement, party insiders have indicated that they view the move as an attempt to stifle criticism.
Political observers suggest that the impending legal battle could dominate the political narrative in the coming weeks and shape campaign strategies on both sides ahead of the polls. Further developments are expected as the date for initiating the defamation proceedings approaches.
