When Investigations Turn Into Ammunition: Assam’s Political Storm Over SIT Reports

GUWAHATI: The political discourse in Assam has taken a sharply confrontational turn, with two Special Investigation Team (SIT) reports—one related to the alleged murder of Assamese icon Zubeen Garg and the other concerning alleged Pakistani links of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Gaurav Gogoi—emerging as central tools in an intensifying political battle between the ruling BJP and the Congress.

What were initially sensitive investigative matters have now evolved into high-voltage political narratives, with both parties accusing each other of using the controversies as political gimmicks to divert public attention from governance issues and institutional accountability.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress MP and APCC chief Gaurav Gogoi have been at the forefront of this political confrontation, using press conferences, political rallies and media platforms to attack each other’s credibility and political standing.

The Chief Minister recently went beyond targeting political opponents to raise questions about the role of a prominent media proprietor in Assam, alleging possible foreign influence and bias. In a talk show at a private satellite channel, CM Sarma questioned why a leading Assamese daily described his press conference on Gogoi’s alleged Pakistani links as a “super flop,” despite Gogoi himself acknowledging a visit to Pakistan in a subsequent press interaction.

“Why did the leading Assamese daily claim that my press conference on Gaurav Gogoi’s alleged Pakistani connection was a super flop? At a time when Gaurav himself claimed that he went to Pakistan the very next day in another press conference. Had he claimed that he didn’t go to Pakistan, I would have accepted that my press conference was a flop show,” the Chief Minister said.

He further insinuated that the ownership of the media house might also be linked to foreign interests and alleged destabilisation attempts.

“Now this has led me to think whether the owner of a certain media house is also involved in Gaurav’s Pakistani ring. As they too wanted to destabilise the state whenever they want to. If I become the Chief Minister once again, I will have to inquire about the alleged Pakistani sympathisers within the media and its reason. They are not showing sympathy to Gaurav Gogoi but trying to normalise India–Pakistan relations. For them, Pakistan is not an enemy country. The media owner also makes several foreign visits; we will have to inquire about that part as well,” Sarma stated.

These remarks triggered sharp reactions from the opposition, which accused the Chief Minister of attempting to intimidate the media and shift the political narrative away from governance concerns.

APCC president Gaurav Gogoi, while leading the Congress-led Xomoy Poribortonor Yatra on Thursday, launched a scathing attack on the Chief Minister, calling him a “complete failure” and alleging that the BJP government was using the SIT issue as a political diversion. Gogoi, along with Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia, Congress MP Rakibul Hussain, senior Congress leader Ripun Bora and AICC secretary and newly appointed state co-in-charge Manoj Chauhan, led a protest procession in Gohpur after paying floral tributes to freedom fighters Kanaklata Barua and Mukunda Kakati.

Addressing the media after the procession, Gogoi dismissed allegations regarding his alleged visit to Takshashila in Pakistan’s Rawalpindi district, asserting that the SIT had never raised such questions during its investigation.

“The issue of my visit to Pakistan along with my wife is important only for the Chief Minister, not for the SIT. For the last six months, the Chief Minister has been sitting on the SIT report. Overall, the Chief Minister has completely failed,” Gogoi said.

He further accused the Chief Minister of political insecurity and fear of Congress’s public outreach initiatives.

“He is fearful of our public outreach initiatives, including the Xomoy Poribortonor Yatra and press briefings. That is why he is seeking the court’s intervention due to political insecurity. I know there is no information against me. As a politician, I believe in the people’s court. That is why I do not need the court’s support. I openly challenge the Chief Minister on my Pakistani links—does he have the same guts to challenge my allegations that I have raised on the corruption and lands that he and his family members had obtained across the state?” Gogoi said.

Congress MP Rakibul Hussain raised further questions over the Chief Minister’s statements on the timing of the Zubeen Garg case, suggesting suspicious foreknowledge and demanding a probe.

“Initially, the Chief Minister informed the media that he would reveal all the details about Gaurav Gogoi’s alleged Pakistani links on September 10, but later he did not do it for months until this February following the press conference. In that same press conference, he claimed that as Assam’s heartthrob Zubeen Garg died by alleged murder on September 19, he did not reveal the SIT investigation report,” Hussain said.
“My question is, how does the Chief Minister of Assam know on September 10 that Zubeen Garg will die on September 19? For this, another SIT probe must be conducted to investigate how he knew that Zubeen would die on September 19, 2025. Is he also involved in the conspiracy in the Zubeen Garg alleged murder case? A probe must be done,” he added.

Senior Congress leader Ripun Bora questioned the legal procedure followed by the government in handling the SIT report on Gogoi’s alleged Pakistani links, accusing the administration of bypassing due process.

“There is a lapse in the legal point here. The SIT report should have been submitted to the court and there should have been an FIR registered at the police station before submitting it to the court, but the government and the Chief Minister did not do that. Instead, they forwarded the case to the Ministry of Home Affairs,” Bora said.

He alleged that the move was politically motivated and aimed at diverting attention from governance failures and the inability to substantiate allegations.

“The Chief Minister did this only to divert his own issues and failure to prove Gaurav Gogoi’s alleged link to Pakistan’s secret agencies. The issue was raised only after Gaurav Gogoi became the APCC president, and not before that. The Chief Minister was completely silent earlier. What does this signify? That the Chief Minister fears Gaurav Gogoi’s political development?” Bora asked.

Leader of Opposition Debabrata Saikia also launched a sharp attack on the BJP government, accusing it of misleading the public and failing to address key issues affecting the state, while focusing instead on politically charged allegations.

As the political rhetoric escalates, observers argue that the SIT reports—serious matters requiring institutional scrutiny and legal accountability—are increasingly being weaponised as political tools. The controversy has now extended beyond allegations against individuals, touching on questions of media independence, political vendetta, and the politicisation of investigative processes.

With both the ruling party and the opposition hardening their positions, Assam’s political climate remains deeply polarised, with governance, accountability and public interest increasingly overshadowed by high-stakes political theatrics and narrative warfare.

Also Read: Parents Of Captain Jintu Gogoi Criticise Gaurav Gogoi Over Pakistan Visit