Where is Pawan Khera as Assam police knock on his door?

Congress leader Pawan Khera has triggered a major political storm in poll-bound Assam with allegations against the Chief Minister's wife. But where is he now?

It was 11 am on Wednesday morning when I was once again standing outside D-12 in Delhi’s posh Nizamuddin East, the address that had turned into the centre of high political drama just a day earlier. This is the residence of Congress media cell chairman Pawan Khera, now untraceable, where Assam Police had arrived to question him over his allegations of holding multiple passports and offshore accounts against Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his family, claims involving.

As I stood there, a larger question loomed: how did a press conference spiral into a full-blown political flashpoint that could potentially sway voters on the eve of polling in Assam?

Last morning had started like any other, with routine calls, checking in with sources, until my Bureau Chief, Munish Pandey, rang me up asking me to verify whether the police had reached Khera’s residence. I dialled Khera’s personal number immediately. There was no response. My next call was to one of his close aides, who confirmed that Assam Police were already at his doorstep.

Within minutes, I had flashed the update and gone live over the phone for India Today TV. I rushed to Nizamuddin East. At Gate No. 3, the usually quiet D Block was teeming with police personnel. The lane leading to Khera’s residence had been cordoned off. Having been there countless times for media interactions, my cameraperson and I managed to navigate our way in.

Nearly two hours later, Assam Police officials stepped out, saying that Pawan Khera was “untraceable” and that certain "incriminating materials" had been recovered from the premises. When I called one of his aides again, he told me, “I can’t disclose his location, but Kheraji is not in Delhi”. He hinted that Khera might address the media later that evening to back his allegations, a press conference that, even 24 hours later, had not taken place. An Assam Police team and others leave the Delhi residence of Congress leader Pawan Khera in New Delhi. (Photo: PTI)

Meanwhile, the police action galvanised the Congress. From party president Mallikarjun Kharge to grassroots workers, leaders rallied behind Khera. Protests broke out outside Assam Bhawan in Delhi. Party insiders told me that Khera’s recent press conferences had sharpened the Congress’s attack on Himanta Biswa Sarma at a crucial juncture and could even tilt the balance in a state where the vote-share gap in the last Assembly election was under 2 per cent.