Singer Sidhu Moose Wala (File) Singer Sidhu Moose Wala (File)

The Punjab Police Saturday booked Punjabi singers Shubhdeep Singh Sidhu, aka Sidhu Moose Wala, and Mankirat Aulakh on charges of promoting violence and gun culture in a song the duo had uploaded on social media.

Senior Superintendent of Police, Mansa, Narender Bhargav said a case under sections 294 (sings, recites or utters any obscene song), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 149 (unlawful assembly) of the IPC has been registered against the duo. The FIR has been lodged on the complaint of Advocate HC Arora.

An RTI activist, Kuldeep Singh Khaira, too had submitted a written complaint with the Ludhiana police alleging that the video uploaded by singers was “promoting gun culture and violence” and was in violation of the orders of Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The Ludhiana police had summoned the singers separately to present their side. Both Moose Wala and Aulakh had told police that they had neither written nor sung the song – ‘Pakhiyan, pakhiyan.. gun vich panj goliyaan, ni tere panj veeran layi rakhiyan…Ni jidey uttey tu mardi, ohde uttey ikk 302 da parcha. (I have five bullets in my gun for your five brothers…The guy whom you love is already booked for murder)”. Moose Wala had claimed that he was singing the song casually with Aulakh during a get-together and had no idea that video will get leaked on social media.

SSP Bhargav, however, said that preliminary inquiries have revealed that the song was recorded at Mussa village in Mansa district at the residence of Moose Wala. The video clip of the song uploaded on social media sites was found to be promoting violence and gun culture.

No arrests have been made so far, he said.

On Friday, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh had expressed deep concerns over the propagation of violence and gun culture in Punjabi songs. Amarinder had reiterated his government’s firm commitment not to show any sort of complacency towards such singers who allure innocent youths into treading on the path of violence and hooliganism.

Notably, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had already directed the Director General of Police of Punjab, Haryana and Union Territory Chandigarh to ensure that no songs glorifying liquor, drugs and violence are played even in the live shows.

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