Lucknow: Police have booked Uttar Pradesh-based folk singer Neha Singh Rathore for sedition over her alleged objectionable social media posts after the Pahalgam terror attack, police said.
Abhay Pratap Singh, the complainant, in his FIR alleged that Rathore's posts on X made repeated efforts to provoke one community against another and could adversely affect the national integrity.
In this complaint, he said, "On April 22, Pakistan-supported terrorists killed Hindu terrorists by asking them their religion. In the attack, 26 tourists died a painful death. Owing to this act of the terrorists, there was a feeling of anger towards Pakistan in the entire India." He said that the all people of the nation, in one voice, demanded the harshest possible revenge against the cowardly attack.
ACP of Hazratganj Vikas Jaiswal confirmed that police registered a sedition case against singer Neha Singh Rathore in Hazratganj police station for making indecent comments about the Pahalgam attack.
"A case has been registered under sections 196 (1) (a) & (b), 197(1) (a), (b), (c) & (d), 353(1) (c), 353(2), 302, 152 (sedition) of the BNS and section 69a of the Information Technology (Amendment) Act, 2008 against Neha Singh Rathore," jaiswal said.
Singh in his complaint said, "In this condition, singer and poetess Neha Singh Rathore using her Twitter handle Neha Singh Rathore @nehafolksinger posted some objectionable posts, which could adversely affect the national integrity, made repeated efforts to provoke one community towards another on the basis of religion."
The case was filed under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. These include 196(1)(a) (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 196(1)(b) (commits any act which is prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different religious, racial, language or regional groups or castes or communities, and which disturbs or is likely to disturb the public tranquillity).
राष्ट्रवाद के नाम पर बनी सरकारों से आतंकी हमलों पर सवाल क्यों नहीं पूछा जाना चाहिये?
— Neha Singh Rathore (@nehafolksinger) April 23, 2025
क्या छप्पन इंच की छाती और लाल आँखों वाले प्रधानमंत्री सवालों से परे हैं?#PahalgamTerroristAttack #Pahalgam #pahalgamattack #पहलगाम_आतंकी_हमला pic.twitter.com/LYI9dgVxK5
Abhay Pratap Singh alias Abhay Singh Nirbhik, a poet and resident of Woodland Paradise on Kursi Road, told the police in his complaint that Neha Rathore is constantly raising questions on the innocent people killed in the terrorist attack through videos on social media.
He accused Neha of making anti-national comments, which according to him, are becoming very viral in Pakistan. Singh said Neha Singh Rathore is also being praised in Pakistan as her anti-national statements are being used against India in the Pakistani media.
He wrote during the national crisis after the Pahalgam attack, Neha Singh's statements against India hurt the sentiments of Indians.
Neha reacts
After the FIR was registered, Neha Rathore wrote on X that 'An FIR has been filed against me... it should be filed. How can an ordinary girl ask questions in such a big democracy! Look at the size of democracy! It is the world's largest democracy brother! Thank you Yogi Adityanath'. It is further written that an FIR has been filed against me in Lucknow... can any lawyer help me? I don't have money to pay the lawyer's fee. I have only 519 rupees in my bank account, out of which I will give 500 rupees to the tabla player and record a new song tomorrow."
On April 23, she wrote on X that 'Modi ji was going to Jammu on April 19, but his trip was postponed. Three days later on April 22, a terrorist attack took place in Pahalgam and 27 tourists were killed. On what pretext was Modi ji's Jammu trip postponed? Was there a fear of a terrorist attack?"
On the same day, another post was made 'Why did Narendra Modi ji's younger brother Dhirendra Shastri not foresee the terrorist attack? He is a miracle baba... he must have known! Did he want the countrymen to die in terrorist attacks? Or did she know that such attacks would give emotional advantage to the BJP? What do you think?".
After the Pahalgam terror attack, Neha Rathore has been constantly raising questions about the policies of the Prime Minister and the BJP government.
