Guwahati Police FIR "Baseless" Claims YouTuber
Journalist Abhisar Sharma challenges Guwahati Police FIR as baseless.
Journalist and YouTuber Abhisar Sharma has labeled an FIR filed against him by the Guwahati Police as "completely baseless" and vowed to counter it through legal means. The controversy erupted after the Guwahati Police’s crime branch registered the FIR on Thursday, August 21, 2025, accusing Sharma of ridiculing the Assam and Union governments and promoting religious enmity through a YouTube video.
Sharma took to X to defend his stance, stating, "The FIR filed against me by @assampolice is completely baseless. It will be responded to legally!" He clarified that his video referenced a statement by an Assam judge criticizing the state government’s decision to allocate 3,000 bighas of land to Mahabal Cement. Additionally, Sharma accused Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma of engaging in "communal politics," backing his claims with the minister’s own statements. He also shared a link to the contentious video, standing firm on his reporting.
The FIR invokes serious charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, including Sections 152 (sedition), 196 (promoting enmity between groups on religious grounds), and 197 (prejudicial assertions against national integration). The complaint, filed by 23-year-old Nayanpur resident Alok Baruah, alleges that Sharma’s video mocked the concept of Ram Rajya and accused the government of thriving on Hindu-Muslim polarization, with intent to discredit both the Assam and Union governments.
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This case follows closely on the heels of similar legal actions against senior journalists Siddharth Vardarajan and Karan Thapar, who were summoned by Guwahati Police under the same BNS sections and asked to appear on August 22, 2025. The string of cases has sparked concerns about press freedom and the use of legal mechanisms to target critical voices. As Sharma prepares to challenge the FIR in court, the case is likely to intensify debates over free speech and political accountability in Assam.
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