Assam : writer calls martyred soldiers ‘salaried people dying on duty’, arrested

• People showing this kind of tacit support towards Naxalites and terrorists and questioning the martyrdom of the soldiers must be put behind bars.
• It would not be an unreasonable demand that people with such a mentality should be sent to sensitive areas to fight Naxalites and terrorists.

Raipur (Chhattisgarh) – Shikha Sharma, a writer, posted that ‘Salaried professionals who lose their lives while performing duty cannot be called martyrs. Based on this logic, if a worker from the electricity department dies due to exposure to electricity, then he should also be given martyr status.” on Facebook. The post sparked widespread criticism on social media. The Assam Police have arrested the 48-year-old writer on charges of sedition and other crimes.

Sharma courted controversy by questioning the martyrdom of 22 soldiers who laid down their lives fighting the Naxalites in Bijapur in Chhattisgarh. Advocates of Guwahati High Court, Umi Deka Barua and Kangkana Goswami filed a complaint against Sharma in the Dispur police station. Subsequently, she was arrested.