Himanta Sarma Files Rs 500 Crore Defamation Case Against Congress Leaders

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday said he has filed a defamation case seeking Rs 500 crore in damages against senior Congress leaders Jitendra Singh, former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, and Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi.

In his civil defamation case, he accused them of making false, malicious and defamatory allegations against him at a press conference last week in Guwahati.

In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday afternoon, Sarma said he has moved court against Congress leaders 

"Today, I have filed a defamation case seeking ₹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 Chief Minister wrote.

On February 4, the Assam Congress launched a website titled "Who Is HBS" and a pamphlet accusing Sarma of corruption, misuse of power, and disrespect to cultural icons. 

The website, which sought information about Sarma's alleged assets, was allegedly hacked after its launch.

Congress had alleged that the Chief Minister and his family owned around 12,000 bighas (approximately 4,000 acres) of land, claiming that rules were manipulated to convert agricultural land into industrial land. 

Sources have confirmed that the defamation case has been initiated by the Chief Minister at the Kamrup District Civil Court, and further proceedings are underway.

The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) on Tuesday lodged a police complaint at Dispur Police Station against the BJP and Sarma, alleging misuse of artificial intelligence to malign Gogoi and targeting muslims through the now-deleted 'point blank shot' video.

APCC senior spokesperson Gopal Sarma said the BJP was indulging in "the worst kind of colonisation of politics" in Assam ahead of the 2026 elections. He alleged that an AI-generated video was circulated, portraying a religious minority person as Gaurav Gogoi.

Asked about Congress filing a police complaint in Guwahati against the BJP for circulating the, Sarma said he will continue speaking up as he has been doing now.

"It is good that they have filed the case... What does communal mean? You all know who I am against," the Chief Minister said.

"What will happen to me if a case is filed? For me, white is white, black is black. They cannot frighten me. Sibani Bora, Diganta Barman, their malik Rahul Gandhi can file a case against me. My thumb to them," Sarma added.

The video, posted on Saturday, was deleted after a massive political backlash.

Sarma had on Monday claimed ignorance of the video.