Guwahati, 21 Aug

The Guwahati Crime Branch on Thursday registered a First Information Report (FIR) against journalist and YouTuber Abhisar Sharma on the basis of a complaint filed by a local resident alleging that he had uploaded a video ridiculing both the Assam and the Union governments, a senior police officer said.

The FIR invokes Sections 152 (sedition), 196 and 197 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS).

According to the complaint, Sharma uploaded a video on YouTube accusing Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of pursuing communal politics.

Sharma also mocked the principle of Ram Rajya and claimed that the government "survives only on Hindu-Muslim polarisation," the complainant said.

Complainant Alok Baruah, a 23-year-old resident of Nayanpur, Ganeshguri, stated that the remarks were made with mala fide intent to disrepute elected governments and has the effect of provoking communal sentiments.

He alleged that such comments are capable of inflaming passions, creating distrust against lawfully established authorities and promoting enmity between religious groups.

The FIR further records that the video is being discussed in the complainant’s locality and that people are talking about a religion-based divide after viewing it which may disturb public peace and harmony.

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The complainant alleged that the offences committed by Sharma are punishable under Sections 152 (which replaced the repealed sedition law and criminalises acts that endanger the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India), 196 (offence of promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste, or community) and 197 (dealing with with imputations and assertions that are prejudicial to national integration) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).