Varun Bahar | Photo Credit: YouTube

Key Highlights The singer had posted a song on YouTube saying those who did not chant Lord Ram's name should be sent to the cemetery Known for his vulgar and often provocative songs on his YouTube channel, he will be produced in the court later Bahar’s three-minute-song sparked outrage for encouraging mob lynching of minority communities

Lucknow: Bhojpuri singer Varun Upadhyay has been arrested for singing a song, "Jo na bole Jai Shri Ram, usko bhejo Kabristan,”. The singer had uploaded this song on a channel on YouTube.

An FIR has been registered against Varun Upadhyay and three others have been arrested.

The singer had posted a song on YouTube saying those who did not chant Lord Ram's name should be sent to the cemetery. He was arrested from Uttar Pradesh's Gonda district on Friday.

Known for his vulgar and often provocative songs on his YouTube channel, he will be produced in the court later today. After the song went viral several FIRs had been registered against him.

Bahar’s three-minute-song sparked outrage for encouraging mob lynching of minority communities.

Speaking to media about Bahar’s arrest, SSP Lucknow Kalanidhi Naithani said the cops were alerted by the cyber cell of Lucknow about the provocative video doing rounds on social media and on YouTube channel owned by Rajesh Verma. Verma, along with Mukesh Pandey, were involved in composing the song with Bahar.

After facing backlash from all quarters, Bahar appealed all the right-wing groups like Bajrang Dal and Hindu Yuva Vahini for help.

He also expressed regret saying that he sang the song in josh.

Earlier, 49 celebrities had written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing their concern over mob lynching saying that a strong law is needed to deal with the issue.

They further said that whatever the PM said about mob lynching is not enough.

To counter this letter, sixty-two celebrities, including actress Kangana Ranaut and writer-lyricist Prasoon Joshi, came out with a counter open letter slamming 49 celebrities accusing them of selective outrage and pushing false narratives.

“The open letter, which has been published on July 23, 2019 and addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has astonished us. Forty-nine self-styled guardians and conscience keepers of the nation and of democratic values have once again expressed selective concern and demonstrated a clear political bias and motive,” the letter reads.

The signatories slammed the 49 celebrities for their silence when the tribals and the marginalised became victims of Naxal terror, when separatists issued dictates to burn schools in Kashmir and when anti-national slogans were raised in favour of terrorists and terror groups in some leading university campuses in the country.

The letter also blamed them for their attempt to mock the mandate of the marginalized and to create a false sense of fear and siege so as to defame the nation.