Guwahati: Controversial author Sikha Sarma, who was arrested for defamatory social media posts on iconic artist Late Zubeen Garg, has been sent to two days police custody at the All Women Police Station in Guwahati’s Panbazar.
After spending Monday night at the police station, Sarma was seen being escorted out by the police on Tuesday.
The case against Sarma has been registered under Sections 152, 196, 299, 351, 352, 353, and 356 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), following public anger and multiple complaints, including one by Zubeen Garg’s wife Garima Saikia Garg, for posts which were seen as character assassination of the beloved singer.
Sikha Sarma went on a tirade over the past few months, issuing several comments on social media against Zubeen Garg. Her remarks even targeted the late singer's character and were extremely distasteful.
Garima Garg in her complaint alleged that Sarma’s social media posts had damaged the reputation of the late singer and caused emotional distress to the bereaved family.
She stated that the family had initially ignored the online posts but approached the authorities after the remarks exceeded all limits of decency.
She further alleged that the posts amounted to defamation, intimidation and hate speech, with the potential to disturb public harmony, and claimed that other members of the family were also targeted.
Separately, the Zubeen Garg Fan Club also lodged an FIR at Dispur Police Station over the same issue.