Case against folk singer for ‘song against Uttarakhand govt’, sparks row | Dehradun News
DEHRADUN: Garhwali folk singer Pawan Semwal is facing charges of “promoting enmity and insulting the modesty of women” over a song purportedly targeting the Uttarakhand govt led by CM Pushkar Singh Dhami on issues of rising unemployment and crimes against women.Dehradun resident Manju Lal filed a complaint on Saturday, alleging that a line in the song — which links rise in the number of liquor shops to prostitution — was offensive to all women in Uttarakhand. A case was registered later that night at Patel Nagar police station, and Semwal, who was in Delhi, was summoned for questioning on Sunday. Inspector Chandrabhan Singh Adhikari, SHO of Patel Nagar, said the case was registered under BNS sections 196 (promoting enmity between groups), 353(1)(b) (statements conducive to public mischief), and 79 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of women). “After questioning, he was served notice under BNSS section 35, under which he must present himself before the police when summoned during the investigation. He was also warned not to repeat such acts,” Adhikari said.The song, titled ‘Tin Bhi Ni Thami’ in Garhwali, loosely translated as ‘Can’t handle it for a bit’, had garnered over 15,000 views and 1,200 likes on YouTube by Sunday morning. It had first been uploaded three days ago, and then taken down. It was re-uploaded on Saturday and deleted again after the police action.Despite repeated attempts by TOI, both Semwal and complainant Lal could not be reached. However, in a video posted on social media while en route to Dehradun, Semwal said there had been “immense pressure on him from the police to delete the song” when it was first uploaded three days ago.The case has also triggered a political row in Uttarakhand. State Congress president Karan Mahara accused the BJP govt of silencing dissent through such actions. “The lyrics of Semwal’s song are much more than what is being projected. The song highlights things which the govt does not want to hear. It is the voice of every resident who wants to see change,” he said.Responding to the remarks, BJP state spokesperson Manveer Singh Chauhan said, “Due to the holistic development under CM Dhami-led govt, Congress has got no issues to raise. These songs are part of its agenda of mudslinging. The govt has no role in registering the case… the law will take its own course.”
