Guwahati, Jan 19: A woman was detained on Monday for allegedly making objectionable and derogatory remarks against Assam’s cultural icon Zubeen Garg, police said.
Garima Saikia Garg, the singer’s wife, lodged a complaint with the Crime Branch of Guwahati Police against Sikha Sarma, a social media commentator, and urged the law enforcers to take action against her.
“We received a complaint and immediately sent a team and picked up the accused for questioning,” Guwahati Police DCP (Crime) Debajit Nath told PTI.
An FIR has been registered and a probe launched, he added.
According to sources, Garima’s complaint referred to a series of objectionable posts allegedly written by Sarma on Facebook over a period of time.
She is accused of making demeaning and personal comments against the character and legacy of the late singer. The remarks triggered widespread outrage among fans and sections of the public, prompting calls for legal action.
Speaking to reporters after filing the police complaint, Garima said, “I cannot believe someone can write such things about Zubeen. Initially, we chose to ignore her, assuming she was mentally unstable, as we wanted to focus on the main case concerning Zubeen’s death. However, there is a limit to our patience.”
She further alleged that the social media posts amounted to defamation, criminal intimidation, hate speech and communal provocation with the potential to disturb law and order in the state.
Garima further said, “She (Sarma) made objectionable comments about my sister-in-law and father-in-law as well. This woman neither respects Assam nor the sentiments of the Assamese people. The derogatory remarks made against me and my family were completely unacceptable.”
Meanwhile, members of the All Assam Zubeen Garg Fan Club reached Dispur police station to lodge a separate complaint against Sarma over the same issue.
“When the public is united in seeking justice for Zubeen Garg, Sikha Sarma has been attempting to divert the issue in a completely different direction,” the fan club’s president Piku Borgohain told reporters here.
The celebrated singer died under mysterious circumstances in Singapore on September 19 last year while swimming in the sea. He had gone to Singapore to attend the 4th edition of the North East India Festival (NEIF). (PTI)
