Bhojpuri folk singer Neha Singh Rathore who was served a notice by the Uttar Pradesh police for a satirical version of her song, ‘U.P. Mein Ka Ba Session-2’ again attacked the State government on Thursday. She said in a tweet that, “even if we sigh, we get notice, even if they commit murder, there is no discussion.
Ms. Rathore, a popular Bhojpuri folk singer and a known critic of the Uttar Pradesh government spoke in the video about the Kanpur Dehat incident in which two women Pramila Dixit, 45, and her daughter Neha, 20, died in their hut that was allegedly set on fire by policemen. In a video uploaded on February 16, on Twitter, she criticised the Yogi Adityanath’s government and mentioned the Chief Minister’s name while referring to the incident.
The U.P. police in their notice asked Ms. Rathore to confirm whether she is seen in the video, asked who wrote the lyrics and whether she stood by the content. The police asked the singer to file her reply within three days and asked if she is ‘aware of the negative impact of the video on society’.
“The song created tension and enmity in society, and you are bound legally to clear your stand on the issue. Hence, you are required to file your reply within three days of receiving the notice. If your reply is not found satisfactory, a case will be registered and proper legal investigation will be carried out,” read the letter from the U.P. police.
After the letter, Ms. Rathore said she is not afraid and will keep on singing. “I will speak to my lawyers and file the reply. I am not afraid and will not get intimidated at all,” she said.
Opposition parties in U.P. including the Samajwadi Party Akhilesh Yadav came out in support of the singer. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) mounted attack with party Lok Sabha member and actor Ravi Kishan responding in a similar fashion on Twitter.
He wrote,”Opposition is short sighted, U.P. is country’s hope, listen to the budget and praise Yogi Ji, U.P. has everything.”
