Punjabi singer and lyricist Shree Brar’s arrest for an older video of a pop song “Jaan” by Barbie Mann, is generating heat in Punjab’s political circles. In the video the fictional characters are seen brandishing guns, much like scores of masala Bollywood movies have always shown. However, the Patiala police clamped down on Brar on Tuesday January 5 and arrested him on the charges of promoting violence and gun culture in a song he had uploaded on social media in November last year.

According to The Tribune, Patiala SSP Vikramjeet Duggal said a case under Sections 294 (sings, recites or utters any obscene song), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) of the IPC had been registered against the singer, along with other artists in the song. Duggal was quoted saying that  the song “had been promoting gun culture in the youth.”

Now, the Youth Akali Dal (YAD) has alleged that Brar was “arrested and tortured by the state government on the directions of Union Home Minister Amit Shah as a punishment for writing the “Kisan Anthem”. According to news reports, YAD president Parambans Singh Romana said the singer had boosted the “kisan andolan” by penning a song that had become its unofficial anthem. The “Kisan Anthem” has since gone viral with over one crore views, and strongly speaks about the farmers movement, awareness of rights, and the unity now forged between the people of Haryana and Punjab. The ‘Kisan Anthem’ was sung by, Mankirt Aulakh, Nishawn Bhullar, Jass Bajwa, Jordan Sandhu, Fazilpuria, Dilpreet Dhillon, Dj Flow, Shree Brar, Afsana Khan, Bobby Sandhu, and was produced by Fateh Karan and Shree Brar.  It may be viewed here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNJiVuPmh9A

According to Romana this anthem inspired more people to join the movement, a fact that “was not liked by the Centre as well as the Home Ministry. This is why Shree Brar has been singled out for punishment with relation to another song he wrote a month ago.” In the controversial “Jaan”video, the fictional character played by the singer is shown to have ‘trespassed’ into Nabha police station in Patiala and ‘rescue’ an arrested accused by pointing a weapon at the duty officer. 

Meanwhile, the politics over the discussion seems to have heated up after Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Wednesday said the Punjabi singer’s arrest was “correct and justified”. The CM stated that promoting gangsterism and gun culture in this manner was absolutely wrong. The Tribune had reported that Patiala’s Senior Superintendent of Police Vikram Jeet Duggal had said Brar’s song “had provocative lyrics, promoting violence and antisocial acts to the extent of even providing shelter to criminals and encouraging jail breaks.” That song too had gone viral.

The CM said the case had been registered correctly in the matter which related to an old song and the arrest had no connection with the singer’s video in support of the protesting farmers. The TNS reported that the CM said Punjab faces threats from across the border, and “we will not allow the state’s peace to be disturbed in any manner” adding that such acts, referring to the contvercialsong, had the potential to do so. Brar had been arrested in Mohali near Chandigarh. The Tribune reported that “More raids are on to nab the other artists featuring in the same song.”

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