The Uttar Pradesh police registered a case of sedition against folk singer Neha Singh Rathore over her recent social media post on the Pahalgam terror attack, where she allegedly questioned members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for ‘politicising’ the gruesome incident.
The sedition case was lodged after a complaint from Abhay Pratap Singh, who alleged the folk singer’s recent X posts were provocative and could incite communal violence. “In this situation, singer and poetess Neha Singh Rathore, using her Twitter (now X) handle @nehafolksinger made some objectionable posts that can adversely affect the national integrity and made repeated efforts to incite one community against another based on religion,” Singh’s complaint stated.
The complaint was registered at the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow.
Rathore, known for songs such as “Bihar mein ka ba“, “UP mein ka ba?“, and “MP mein ka ba?“, said the government wants to divert attention from “real issues” by filing an FIR against her.
“What has the government done so far in response to the Pahalgam attack? An FIR against me? If you have the guts then go, bring the heads of the terrorists. No need to blame me for your failures…”
“This is a democracy and questions will be asked in a democracy. Whenever someone raises a question, they are met with notices, FIRs, their jobs are taken away, humiliated and intimidated. Is this your politics?” she asks.
“If you don’t want me to ask questions, go and sit in the Opposition,” she said in a video shared with her close to 435,000 followers on X on Monday, April 28.
Police registered a case against the folk singer on multiple charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including attempting to promote sectarian animosity, disturbing public tranquillity and endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India, police said, adding that she has also been booked under the Information Technology Act.
While BNS does not explicitly mention sedition as was specified in the colonial-era Indian Penal Code Section 124A, the new criminal code deals with similar charges of endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of the country under section 152.
In 2023, the folk singer was served a notice by the UP police after she took a jibe at the Yogi Adityanath government by posting several songs, including ‘UP Mein Ka Ba’ from X, Facebook and YouTube channel after a mother-daughter were burnt alive in Madauli village in Kanpur Dehat during an anti-encroachment drive.
Police stated that her songs are spreading discrimination and disharmony in society.
(With PTI inputs)
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