For Opposing Bandhs, Assam Outfits ‘Ban’ Singer’s Music

By Samudra Gupta Kashyap 

Guwahati, Sep 5 : Four organisations, claiming to represent a tribal community, on Sunday imposed a ban on the songs, music and videos of Assam’s popular musician and singer Zubeen Garg after the latter lodged an FIR against them for calling a bandh.

Garg, who has also made a name in Hindi cinema by singing Ya Ali a couple of years ago, had last week lodged an FIR at the Morigaon police station against four organisations for calling a 12-hour bandh. He had also sought action against the organisations on the ground that the Gauhati High Court had already declared bandhs as illegal in Assam and Meghalaya.

Garg, along with his wife and costume designer Garima, actor Kapil Bora, and journalist Kaushik Deka had on August 23 lodged a complaint with the CID of Assam Police, naming the presidents of Tiwa Students’ Union, Tiwa Yuva-Chatra Parishad, Tiwa Mahila Sangstha and Tiwa Suraksha Samiti, and questioning why action should not be initiated against them for calling bandhs which were already declared illegal. The groups had called a bandh on August 24.

Though the police are yet to take action on the complaint except for registering a case in the Morigaon police station (the district where the four groups had called the bandh), the four groups have declared a ‘ban’ on songs, music, videos and films featuring Garg and Bora.

The Gauhati High Court had, on the basis of a PIL filed by several eminent citizens and journalists, on January 6, 2010 declared bandhs as illegal in Assam and Meghalaya.

Meanwhile, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) state unit has called a 9-hour bandh in Assam on Monday to register its protest against the government’s move to swap adversely possessed areas along the boundary with Bangladesh. The state BJP has also extended support to the bandh.

Garg, Bora and others on Sunday filed yet another complaint with the CID against the state units of Vishwa Hindu Parishad and BJP for calling a bandh in Assam on Monday. A case has been registered on the basis of their complaint.