Opposition parties in Assam on Monday demanded an investigation into media reports alleging corruption in awarding contracts for the inauguration event of a flyover project in Guwahati, PTI reported.

The Congress, Raijor Dal and Assam Jatiya Parishad raised the demand a day after an investigative report by The Wire and The Crosscurrent claimed that the tender for the event was floated over four months after the function actually took place. According to the report, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma inaugurated the Super Market flyover in Guwahati on November 4, 2021, but state authorities issued tenders in newspapers on March 9, 2022.

Post-dated work orders pertaining to the event were said to have been issued on May 2.

The Rs 45 lakh contract for the inauguration ceremony was given to firms linked to Sarma’s family, the report also claimed.

At a press conference on Monday, Congress spokesperson Manjit Mahanta demanded that a high-level inquiry be conducted into the allegations. Raijor Dal Vice President Rasel Hussain said that the Enforcement Directorate should look into the allegations, while Assam Jatiya Parishad spokesperson Ziaur Rahman demanded an independent inquiry by a sitting High Court judge, PTI reported.

What are the corruption charges?

Replies to Right to Information applications filed by The Crosscurrent showed that two firms and one individual contractor applied for the tender – but notably, all three of them were based out of the same area in Guwahati, The Wire reported.

Moreover, the individual bidder – Anjan Sarma – and owners of the two business entities – Jugananda Sarma of JMC Construction and Bhaskar Sarma of Dream-A-Maze – are co-directors of another firm called Assam Chemists Distributors Private Limited, according to The Wire.

Eventually, the Assam Public Works Department ministry issued three work orders to the firm owned by Bhaskar Sarma and sanctioned a total of Rs Rs 45,94,657 to his company on November 1, 2022.

Notably, Himanta Biswa Sarma, who holds the Public Works Department portfolio in Assam, has family links with Bhaskar Sarma through corporate connections, common investors and share transfers, The Wire report claimed.

Alleged links between CM Sarma and Bhaskar Sarma

The report by The Wire and The Croscurrent traced the links between the chief minister and Bhaskar Sarma through a firm called Chandmari Tea Company, which reportedly owns one of the largest tea estates in Assam.

Citing company documents, The Wire report claimed that as of March 31, 2015, Bhaskar Sarma – who was then a director of the Chandmari Tea Company – held 9.5% shares in the company, while another firm, DS Graha Nirman Private Limited, owned 30.5% of the stakes.

More recent company documents showed that as of September 30, 2022, Bhaskar Sarma had stepped down as a director of the tea company, but he and DS Graha Nirman continued to hold shares.

Meanwhile, company records of DS Graha Nirman from March 31, 2020 showed that Himanta Biswa Sarma’s mother-in-law, Meena Bhuyan, owned 19.25% shares in the Kolkata-based business entity, The Wire reported. The chief minister’s mother, Mrinalini Devi, was also one of the former directors of DS Graha Nirman, according to the report.

Moreover, in November 2010, Bhaskar Sarma was also appointed as a director of DS Graha Nirman. This means that from November 2010 till he resigned from the Chandmari Tea Company, Bhaskar Sarma was a director in both companies, The Wire reported.