Assam CM gets 'sound' advice over borrowed charging device on a flight

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has received some sane advice from security-conscious citizens after borrowing charging devices from a fellow airline passenger and forgetting to return them.

Sarma wrote on X that he borrowed the devices from a “young gentleman” while flying from New Delhi to Dubai but forgot to return them to the passenger who disembarked in the United Arab Emirates.

Today morning I traveled on an Emirates flight from Delhi to Dubai, where a kind young gentleman lent me his international plug and charging cable. Unfortunately, he disembarked in Dubai while I was asleep, and I couldn’t return them. I’ve just now arrived in Amsterdam and feel…

— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) April 8, 2025

The chief minister, asleep then, later reached his destination Amsterdam where he realised that he still held the international plug and the charging cable taken on the Emirates flight.

Sarma apologises

“(I) feel deeply apologetic for not returning his belongings,” Sarma said.

“If this message reaches him, please send me a direct message so I can arrange to return your charger and cable promptly.

“Thank you for your kindness, and I regret any inconvenience caused,” he added.

Citizens warn Sarma

However, netizens have reacted strongly, with some warning that he had, as a prominent politician, courted needless danger by borrowing an electronic device from a complete stranger.

One person posted: “Get your phone checked as soon as possible. The person may have good intentions, but as chief minister, there's always a risk of your phone being tracked or your data being compromised.”

Data theft

Another X user wrote: “Hopefully, their intentions are clear, but as a CM, you should avoid using someone else’s cable and plug.

“There’s always a risk of your phone being tracked or your data being compromised. Yes, data theft through a cable is very much possible.”