Citizenship Amendment Bill: Assamese Singer Zubeen Garg Booked For ‘Insulting’ Bharat Ratna Award on Republic Day
Assamese Singer Zubeen Garg has been booked for allegedly using unparliamentary words against Bharat Ratna Award on Republic Day
Guwahati, January 27: Renowned Assamese singer Zubeen Garg has been booked by the state police for allegedly insulting the Bharat Ratna award on Republic Day. The FIR states that Garg used ‘unparliamentary’ language and defamed India’s highest civilian honour.
Amid crippling protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in the state, Garg is purportedly heard singing his new song ‘Politics Na Karibo Bandhu' (Don’t Do Politics, My Friend), before allegedly using an abusive term for the Bharat Ratna. After the audio clip was circulated through social media, it went viral. Citizenship Amendment Bill: Mizoram, Manipur and Assam Students Boycott Republic Day Celebrations, Burn Effigies of Narendra Modi, Rajnath Singh.
Taking the matter in concern, state vice president of the BJP’s Kisan Morcha – Satya Ranjan Borah – filed an FIR against Garg. He wrote on his Facebook page, “I don’t have any personal problem with Zubeen Garg, but the way he has been behaving cannot be accepted for a healthy and cultured Assamese society.”
Alleging that the Assamese singer insulted the late singer Bhupen Hazarika, who has been posthumously awarded the Bharat Ratna in his song, Borah filed the complaint. Informing more, Borah further wrote that FIR had been lodged for ‘defaming, disrespecting and insulting nation’s highest recognition the Bharat Ratna and defaming and insulting voice and pride of Assam late Bhupen Hazarika accordingly with some unparliamentary and anti-social words.’
It is to be known that Garg had lent his voice for BJP’s election campaign song in Assam in 2016. But with the Lok Sabha passing the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill on January 8, 2018, Garg offered to return his fee to the party in protest. Citizenship Amendment Bill Debate: Govt Committed Towards NRC But Can’t Give Citizenship to Illegal Migrants, Says Rajnath Singh in Lok Sabha.
Under the new provisions of Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, the six identified minority communities – namely Hindus, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Christians and Parsis – from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who came to India before 31 December 2014 would be facilitated.
Also, the minimum residency period for citizenship is being reduced from the existing 12 years under the present law to seven years, after requisite scrutiny and recommendation of district authorities and the state government.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 27, 2019 03:56 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).