Kanpur Dehat police serve notice to Bhojpuri singer Neha Singh Rathore over ‘satirical’ song attacking UP government

A senior police officer said the notice was issued on the basis of a complaint filed by local residents stating that Rathore’s song was allegedly spreading ‘disharmony and tension’ in society.

“On the basis of the complaint, a notice was issued to the singer on February 19 asking her to file a reply within three days. So far, we have not received any reply from her,” said the officer. He added that police will wait for a few more days and then decide on the next course of action.

According to the reports, the police had initially sent the notice to the residence of Rathore’s father-in-law in Ambedkar Nagar district. “Police weren’t aware of the singer’s current address. After collecting her current address from her family, a police team went to New Delhi and served her the notice. Police have asked Rathore to answer some questions about the song as she had uploaded the video song on Twitter,” the police officer said.

‘यू पी में का बा!’ पर पुलिस का नोटिस..!#Nehasinghrathore #up @Uppolice @myogiadityanath @myogioffice #democracy pic.twitter.com/szZUsqvRCu

— Neha Singh Rathore (@nehafolksinger) February 21, 2023

“She has been asked if she wrote the lyrics of the song and if she owns the Youtube channel and Twitter account which posted the video song,” he added.

The notice was sent to Rathore by the inspector of the Akbarpur police station in Kanpur Dehat.

यूपी में का बा
यूपी में झुठ्ठे केसों की बहार बा
यूपी में गरीब-किसान बेहाल बा
यूपी में पिछड़े-दलितों पर प्रहार बा
यूपी में कारोबार का बंटाधार बा
यूपी में भ्रष्टाचार ही भ्रष्टाचार बा
यूपी में बिन काम के बस प्रचार बा
यूपी में अगले चुनाव का इंतज़ार बा
यूपी में अगली बार भाजपा बाहर बा

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) February 22, 2023

“You are asked to explain within three days about the video. If your reply is found unsatisfactory, action can be taken against you under the relevant sections of IPC/CrPC,” the notice read.

Rathore also posted a video of the police personnel serving the notice on her on Tuesday on her Twitter account.

अपने लोकगीतों के ज़रिए सत्ता से बेबाक़ सवाल पूछने वाली लोकप्रिय गायिका @nehafolksinger ने जब गाया कि “यूपी में का बा?” तो बीजेपी सरकार ने उनके घर पुलिस के हाथों नोटिस भिजवा दिया…

एक लोकगायिका की आवाज़ से इतना डर गई बीजेपी?

शर्मनाक. बेहद शर्मनाक है ये. https://t.co/CVWKzwSDxz

— Manish Sisodia (@msisodia) February 22, 2023

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also hit out at the state government over the incident. “What’s in UP. There is a spring of false cases in UP. Poor farmers in UP are in dire straits. There is an attack on the backward Dalits in UP. There is a division of business in UP. Corruption is corruption in UP. Bin work in UP is just propaganda. The next elections are awaited in UP. The BJP is out next time in UP,” he tweeted in Hindi on Wednesday. —With PTI inputs