Two police complaints were lodged against popular Assamese singer Zubeen Garg on Saturday for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award.
In an audio clip, Mr. Garg purportedly used abusive words while referring to Bharat Ratna. The clip began doing the rounds on social media on Friday night, after the Bharat Ratna and Padma awards were announced.
‘Insulted Hazarika’
“By defaming the Bharat Ratna, he [Mr. Garg] has also insulted Bhupen Hazarika, the voice and pride of Assam,” Satya Ranjan Borah, State vice-president of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Kisan Morcha, said on Facebook.
Mr. Bora filed the FIR against Mr. Garg at the Lanka police station in central Assam’s Hojai district. “I have no issues against him, but his unacceptable behaviour will impact the youth negatively,” he said.
Srimanta Sarma, the officer in-charge of the Lanka police station, said the FIR was registered on Saturday morning under several Sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Information Technology Act.
Guwahati resident Biswajit Nath lodged a similar complaint at the Dispur police station seeking action against the singer for “hate speech.”
He also attached the audio clip with the FIR for investigation and action. The authenticity of the clip has not been verified, neither has the singer issued any clarification.
Mr. Garg has been one of the strongest critics of the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 and had composed a song to protest its passage in the Upper House of Parliament.
Earlier this month, Mr. Garg wrote an open letter to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal asking him to take a stand against the Centre that is pushing the Bill.
