Censorship – The Arts

About 10 songs have been taken down from various social media platforms over the past fortnight, and at least two concerts, including one in Gurugram, halted midway.

The Haryana Police’s action against songs sung by local singers allegedly promoting violence and gun culture has snowballed into a controversy.
Several artists from the music industry have accused the police of “picking and choosing” to target a few singers. The issue also resonated in the State Assembly during the Budget session, with legislators seeking a lenient view of the matter.
About 10 songs have been taken down from various social media platforms by the Haryana Police over the past fortnight, and at least two concerts, including one in Gurugram, halted midway. Six of the 10 banned songs were sung by Masoom Sharma, a prominent Haryanvi singer.

The police action has also led to allegations and counter-allegations between singers. Mr. Sharma, while not naming anyone, alluded to Gajender Phogat, a rival artiste and the Officer on Special Duty (Publicity) to the Haryana Chief Minister, for conspiring against him. Mr. Phogat, however, has denied the allegations.
Appearing on different platforms, Mr. Sharma said there were hundreds of songs promoting violence, but the police had banned only 10 songs, with six of them sung by him, hinting at a conspiracy.
He also questioned the rationale behind banning a few songs of Haryanvi singers in the age of Internet, when youth had access to songs by Punjabi singers, and Bollywood films promoted violence and gun culture. “Before I entered the Haryana music industry in 2009, youth mostly listened to songs by Punjabi singers. We took the Haryana music industry to new heights, but now this action of the police will not just harm my career and those of other singers, but the entire industry,” Mr. Sharma said. The singer is credited with several popular numbers, including ‘Ek khtola jail ke bhitar’, ’Tuition badmashi kaa’ and ‘Bhagatt aadmi’.