Bhojpuri folk singer Neha Singh Rathore, who was issued a notice by the Uttar Pradesh police for a satirical version of her song ‘UP Mein Ka Baa Session-2’, on Thursday hit out at the state government once again. “If we moan we get notice, even if they kill, there is no debate,” he said in a tweet.
Ms. Rathore, a popular Bhojpuri folk singer and a well-known critic of the Uttar Pradesh government, spoke in the video about the Kanpur village incident in which two women, Pramila Dixit, 45, and her daughter, 20, were killed in their hut. which was allegedly set on fire by the police personnel. In a video uploaded on Twitter on February 16, he criticized the Yogi Adityanath government and also called the chief minister by name while referring to the incident.
In its notice, the UP police asked Ms. Rathore to confirm whether she appeared 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 was ‘aware of the negative impact of the video on society’.
“This song created tension and hostility in the society, and you are legally bound to clarify your stand on the matter. Therefore, you need to file your reply within three days of receiving the notice. If you If the response is not found satisfactory, a case will be registered and appropriate legal investigation will be conducted,” read the UP Police letter.
After the letter, Ms. Rathore said she was not afraid and would continue to sing. “I will talk to my lawyers and file a reply. I am not afraid and will not be afraid at all,” she said.
In UP, opposition parties including Samajwadi Party Akhilesh Yadav came out in support of the singer. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back with the party’s Lok Sabha member and actor Ravi Kishan responding in kind on Twitter.
“Opposition is short sighted, UP is the hope of the country, listen to the budget and praise Yogiji, UP has everything,” he wrote.
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