Folk singer and political satirist, Neha Singh Rathore, has been booked by Varanasi police for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a recent satire song.
An FIR was registered at Sigra police station following a complaint from Dr Saurabh Maurya, president of a social group called Sadhana Foundation. The complaint states that Rathore called the prime minister a “coward” and “General Dyer.” The complaint also states that her video has been aired on Pakistani media channels, which undermines India’s image globally.
The folk singer has been booked under sections 197(1)(a) (for acts that harm national unity), 197(1)(d) (dissemination of false information jeopardising national security) and 353(2) (statements promoting enmity between groups.)
While some people have supported Rathore saying she has the right to use satire to express her views, others say her words have crossed the line between satire and insult.
Rathore was previously booked in April by Uttar Pradesh police for sedition following her remarks on the Pahalgam terror attack, where she lashed out at the government and members of Bharatiya Janata Party for ‘politicising’ the gruesome incident.
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