GUWAHATI, Jan 19: The Office of the Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has taken serious note of reports circulating in certain sections of the media claiming that an internal conflict within the Assam BJP has reached New Delhi, allegedly based on a letter written by Sonowal to the party’s national president.
The Office of the Union Minister categorically clarified that the said letter, which alleges demands for a leadership change in Assam and makes claims against incumbent chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, is completely fake, fabricated and forged.
“The letter bears a forged official letterhead and a fake signature of Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. The circulation of such fraudulent material constitutes a serious criminal offence involving forgery, impersonation, and misuse of official government identity, apparently aimed at spreading misinformation and discrediting a constitutional authority,” the Office of the Union Minister said.
An FIR has been lodged in the matter at the Parliament Street Police Station in New Delhi, and law enforcement agencies have been requested to investigate the case on priority and take strict legal action against those responsible.
The FIR was filed by Sonowal’s assistant private secretary, Mukul Chandra Lahkar.
“The Office of the Union Minister strongly rejects the claims made in the circulated reports and clarifies that there is no truth whatsoever in the allegations of internal rivalry or correspondence attributed to Shri Sarbananda Sonowal,” it said.
“The public and media are advised not to rely on or circulate such fake and unverified material and to verify information only through official and authorised sources,” the statement said.
Notably, the viral letter has surfaced barely two months ahead of the Assam Assembly elections, raising serious concerns over the misuse of digital platforms to spread false information in the run-up to elections.
