Police have filed a sedition case against folk singer Neha Singh Rathore after a complaint about her social media posts. The posts were said to target a particular religious group in the wake of the Pahalgam attack, which could harm the country's unity.
The complaint referred to the killing of 26 people, mostly tourists, in Pahalgam last week. The victims were reportedly asked about their religion before being killed by terrorists. The attack left the whole nation in mourning and calling for justice for the victims.
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Sedition Case Against Neha Singh Rathore Over Controversial Posts
"In this situation, singer and poetess Neha Singh Rathore, using her Twitter (now X) handle @nehafolksinger made some objectionable posts that can adversely affect the national integrity and made repeated efforts to incite one community against another based on religion," the complainant, Abhay Pratap Singh, said.
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Neha Singh's Post That Sparked Controversy
In her X post on April 23, Rathore claimed that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was using caste and religion for political gain.
She also accused the BJP government of "collecting votes in the name of Pulwama attack" and said that “the same will be repeated in case of Pahalgam attack," ANI reported.
On April 26, she posted, "I will say this again and again that if Bihar elections are fought on the issue of Pahalgam, then Bihar's own issues will be sidelined."
Complaint Filed at Hazratganj Police Station
The complaint was filed at the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow.
Multiple Charges Against Folk Singer
Based on the complaint, police have filed a case against the folk singer on several charges under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). These charges include promoting religious hatred, disturbing public peace, and threatening India’s sovereignty, unity, and integrity. She has also been charged under the Information Technology Act.
BNS Charges Similar to Sedition Law
Although the BNS does not mention sedition like the old Indian Penal Code Section 124A, it includes similar charges of threatening the country's sovereignty, unity, and integrity under section 152.