Five Things To Know About Assamese Writer Sikha Sarma, Who Is Facing Sedition Charges

Who is Sikha Sarma: On Tuesday evening at 7 pm, Sikha Sarma, a Guwahati based writer, was arrested after an FIR was lodged against her over a Facebook post. In her post, the writer had reported demeaned the sacrifice of "martyrs" who died in the Chattisgarh Maoist attack of April 3.

Sarma, in her post, said that a person who dies while doing a salary job should not be considered a martyr. The writer, who was supported by the general public last year when she received rape threats from a university student, is being heavily criticised for her recent post.

After receiving major backlash online for her post, Sarma alleged on Monday night that people are mentally harassing her by misinterpreting her post. She also claimed that up until the time of the post, no investigations were done regarding the murder threats that she was receiving in response to her post.

The Assamese writer was charged under the IPC section 124A for sedition, defamation and intimidation, and several other sections. She was also booked under Section 45 of the Information Technology Act.

Here are five things we know about Sikha Sarma.

- Sikha Sarma is an Assamese language writer who mainly writes fiction novels.

- She has written two books - Senorita - The Burning Life, and Bon Polasor Saat.

- Both of the books are in the Assamese language and came out at the beginning of the year 2020.

- The Assamese language writer is also known for speaking her mind in Television news debates; she is also a critique of the Assam state government.

- According to her Facebook profile, Sarma also works at the All India Radio (AIR) Dibrugarh as an artist.

Picture Credit: The Indian Express