The ongoing political confrontation between Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi took a sharp turn on Monday, as Gogoi accused the Chief Minister of “inciting genocide” against the Muslim community. The allegation follows a controversial and now-deleted video shared by the state BJP on social media.

Gogoi claimed the video depicted the Chief Minister purportedly aiming a rifle and firing at two individuals—one wearing a skull cap and the other with a beard—captioned with the phrase “point-blank shot.” Speaking at a press conference, the Congress leader urged the police to take suo motu cognisance of the matter, labeling the content as “vicious” and targeted at a specific community.

The dispute has also become deeply personal, with Gogoi expressing outrage over his minor children being drawn into the political crossfire. The Congress MP stated he is exploring legal options against the Chief Minister for these comments.

“The Assam CM is floundering and sinking in his own web of lies,” Gogoi remarked, addressing the recent allegations regarding his family’s supposed “Pakistani links.” He clarified that his 2013 trip to Pakistan was a 10-day visit to accompany his wife for her professional work, and asserted that his travel documents have been with the Central Government since 2014.

Gogoi challenged the Chief Minister’s claims regarding investigations into his background, noting that the Special Investigation Team (SIT) never questioned him about his decade-old visit. He alleged that Sarma has “sat over the SIT report for six months” because the findings contain no evidence to support the claims of foreign links.