Uttarakhand: Another Singer of Satirical Song Critical of BJP Govt Booked by Police

Dehradun: Another political satirical song criticising the present Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government led by Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami has created a controversy in Uttarakhand. The singer, Pawan Semwal, who sang the song and posted it on social media platforms, has been booked by the Uttarakhand Police.

Semwal, a Garhwali singer, in his song criticised Dhami, urging him to quit as he had “failed to govern the state.” He also alleged that women were unsafe and there was misgovernance in the Hill state.

Interestingly, police booked Semwal on a complaint by a woman who alleged that the song had “undermined the dignity of women” of Uttarakhand. The complaint was lodged at Patel Nagar police station in Dehradun. A case under Section 196/353 [1] [B]/79 of Bhartiya Nyaya Sanhita was registered against the singer.

The singer was called to the Kalyanpuri police station in New Delhi and brought to Dehradun for interrogation. As per a press release of Uttarakhand Police, Semwal was given a notice under Section 35[A] BNSS with instructions to join the probe. He was later let off.   

Uttarakhand is known for politically satirical songs with the top Garhwali folk singer, Narendra Singh Negi, starting the trend by coming up with ‘Nauchami Narayan’, an album of satirical songs on the working of first elected Congress Chief Minister of Uttarakhand, N.D. Tewari.  

Negi then came out with a new Garhwali album “Ab Kathga Khalyuo” (How much you will eat) with eight songs hitting out at the then BJP-led government of Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank in 2010.

A few months ago, Negi, sang another politically satirical song titled ‘Loktantra Ma’ (In Democracy) which he calls a ‘Jangeet’, a people’s song.

Following an uproar over large-scale corruption in various departments, including in the Uttarakhand Assembly, where leaders and bureaucrats allegedly distributed jobs to their own ‘near and dear’ ones, Negi, hit out at the political class again.

In his Garhwali song, he lamented that in today’s democracy, the elected public servants have themselves become ‘Kings’ and the general public which elected them have become servants. He further sings about the people of Uttarakhand being “cheated” of jobs that were provided to “favourites through the back door.” Negi declared in the song that people would not let this pass and pay back these political leaders in the coming days.     

The singer has raised his voice against the political class and its’ corrupt practices since the inception of the separate hill state of Uttarakhand. 

The writer is a freelancer based in Uttarakhand.