Complaint lodged over alleged insult to singer Diganta Bharati at Bihu event
In solidarity, several members of the artiste fraternity staged a protest on Sunday near the statue of late musician Jayanta Hazarika in Chandmari;
Holding placards and chanting slogans, members of the fraternity staged a protest on Sunday.
Guwahati, April 20: The Film Fraternity of Assam has filed a formal police complaint against a member of the Pub Guwahati Bihu Sanmilan, accusing him of assaulting and threatening popular artiste Diganta Bharati during a cultural event earlier this week.
The complaint, addressed to Chandmari Police Station on Saturday, names Simanta Thakuria, a member of the organising committee, for allegedly “misbehaving, insulting, assaulting and criminally intimidating” Bharati on stage during the Bihu celebrations on April 16.
According to the complaint, the incident occurred during a performance at the Chandmari Bihu Sanmilan, where Bharati was in the audience, watching his wife, singer Bhaswati Bharati, perform on stage.
On the request of organisers, he joined her on stage for a duet. However, midway through the performance, Thakuria and other organisers reportedly intervened.
“Bharati couldn't understand and before he could react, the accused persons without his consent snatched his mic and pushed him off the stage using criminal force. The accused persons used foul language lodging vile threats in the name of culture and criminally intimidating him for not wearing traditional dress...,” the letter stated.
The Film Fraternity of Assam, a registered society of artistes and filmmakers from the state, called the act "disrespectful and demeaning to the sanctity of the cultural event", adding that it had "hurt the sentiments of the entire artistic fraternity of Assam".
The complaint includes video and photographic evidence as well as a list of witnesses present during the incident.
A formal complaint lodged by Film Fraternity of Assam
In solidarity, members of the fraternity staged a protest on Sunday near the statue of late musician Jayanta Hazarika, beside the Assam Engineering Institute field.
"I’ve worked with him for years and know the kind of person he is. He doesn’t need lessons on the etiquette of a Bihu Sanmilan. We, the artistes of Assam, strongly condemn this act,' says Jatin Bora, actor.
Holding placards and chanting slogans, they condemned the treatment meted out to Bharati and demanded a public apology and formal inquiry into the incident.
As of Sunday evening, police are yet to issue an official statement on the matter.