In a dramatic political escalation, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma accused Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi’s wife, Elizabeth Colburn, of accessing Indian intelligence reports on behalf of a Pakistani-linked climate lobby. At a press conference, Sarma claimed to possess “documentary evidence” that Colburn monitored IB documents and maintained ties with Pakistan until 2018.

"He is a Pakistani agent," Sarma alleged, announcing that he would reveal the documents on September 10. Colburn, a public policy expert, worked on a climate change project in South Asia a decade ago, including a year in Pakistan.

Responding sharply, Gogoi dismissed the claims as a "C-grade Bollywood movie" and challenged the BJP’s silence for over a decade if wrongdoing had existed. He said his wife’s international work ended in 2013, and their trip to Pakistan happened only once in 2013. The Congress labelled the accusations as politically motivated and defamatory.