Guwahati, Feb 10: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday filed a ₹500 crore defamation lawsuit against Congress leaders Jitendra Singh, Bhupesh Baghel, and Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi.

Sarma termed allegations made by the leaders as “false, malicious, and defamatory.” The claims, made during a joint press conference on February 4, included allegations that Sarma and his family occupied nearly 12,000 bighas of land across the state. In a separate press briefing on Monday, Gogoi also accused Sarma of “inciting genocide” against Muslims through certain videos.

Announcing the legal action on X, Sarma said: “Today, I have filed a defamation case seeking Rs 500 crore in damages against Congress leaders Jitendra Singh, Bhupesh Baghel, and Gaurav Gogoi for making false, malicious and defamatory allegations against me through a press conference.”

The Chief Minister had earlier promised to pursue legal action in response to Gogoi’s initial claims.