The Assam Police Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted to investigate the death of cultural icon Zubeen Garg, on Friday submitted its charge sheet to the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (Kamrup). While the charge sheet runs into over 12,000 pages, the SIT has invoked murder charges against four of the seven arrested in the case. Zubeen Garg, the greatest singing star of Assam in the post-Bhupen Hazarika era, had died by drowning under mysterious circumstances in Singapore on September 19 this year. This had triggered an unprecedented outburst of grief and anguish. While seven persons, including a festival organiser, a female singer and the singer’s manager, were arrested from different places on suspicion of murder, the Assam Police SIT worked overtime to prepare a voluminous charge sheet. As has already been reported in the media, four of the accused – namely Shyamkanu Mahanta, Siddharth Sharma, Shekhar Jyoti Goswami and Amritprava Mahanta – have been charged with murder under Section 103(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023. If convicted, the four shall even face the death penalty or imprisonment for life, apart from a fine. While one must appreciate that the frenzy which had taken over a section of the iconic singer’s fans for over a week following the tragic incident, tempers have cooled down, with the people now looking forward to how the case proceeds in the courts of law. In the meantime, Assam Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma has stated that his government would prefer a fast-track court to handle the highly sensitive case so that justice could be ensured at the earliest possible time, while at the same time expecting the courts of law to award the maximum possible punishment to those found guilty of the alleged murder. In this context, it must be placed on record that people of different backgrounds, including those in active politics and holding responsible offices like elected representatives, have once again started making various kinds of comments on the SIT’s charge sheet, and this is despite not even having read its contents. Such acts of a handful of elected representatives and persons in public life would only vitiate the atmosphere instead of contributing towards creating an environment congenial for all. In such instances, what is expected of people in responsible positions and public life is to guide public opinion in a positive manner, rather than inciting hooliganism and chaos. What is also being seen in the instant matter, as was also seen in certain incidents of recent time, is the kind of comments and utterances all kinds of people make on various kinds of social media platforms. It is a bitter truth that many people make various kinds of defamatory comments on social media, and this has become a significant issue due to the speed and global reach of online platforms. Defamation involves false statements of fact that harm an individual’s or business’ reputation, and it can have serious legal consequences for the post. As far as the Zubeen Garg issue is concerned, the best a citizen could do is to allow the judiciary to play its role without any hindrance so that justice is ensured at the earliest possible time.