APCC chief files FIR over audio clip linking him to coal trade payoff

Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief Bhupen Kumar Borah on Monday filed a complaint with the Assam police, alleging a targeted conspiracy to defame him through the circulation of a fabricated audio clip that links his name to monetary demand from a coal trader.

The incident comes at a time when political tensions in the state are intensifying ahead of the crucial panchayat elections and rising public scrutiny over alleged coal syndicate operations.

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In his FIR, Borah has accused certain individuals of malicious intent to malign his image, blackmail him, and derail his party’s campaign against the rampant illegal coal trade in Assam.

The audio clip circulating widely on social media is purportedly a phone conversation between two unidentified individuals, one of whom allegedly invokes Borah’s name while discussing a money transaction with someone associated with the coal business.

“One of the persons in the said conversation allegedly demanded money from the other person referring to me……the conversation also referred to one of our party leaders. I want to make it absolutely clear that I have never demanded money from anyone involved in coal trading. It is nothing but a conspiracy aimed at weakening our fight against the illegal coal syndicate,” Borah stated in his complaint.

The Congress leader termed the episode a “politically motivated attempt” to discredit him at a time when the party is ramping up its attack on the state government’s alleged inaction against entrenched coal mafias.

In the FIR, Borah has named one Likhan Kumbang as the person responsible for uploading the doctored audio on social media platforms and demanded legal action under the Information Technology Act, 2000, along with other relevant provisions of criminal law.