Vulgar Song Case: FIR Filed Against Punjabi Rapper Honey Singh

 

 

 IBTimes Staff Reporter | May 17, 2013 =

Just days after High Court questioned the inaction by Punjab police against Honey Singh, a First Investigation Report (FIR) has been booked against the pop singer on Friday.

A case has been filed with the Nawanshahr police against Honey Singh, accusing him of singing vulgar songs laden with sexual violent content directed at women.

The singer was booked under Section 294 (singing obscene songs at public place to the annoyance of others) of Indian Penal Code and the song “Main Hoon Balatkari” (I Am rapist) with its lyrics has been included in the complaint.

Based on the section of crime, a person can be put behind bars for three months maximum, fined or be subjected to both.

Confirming the case, Nawanshahr senior superintendent of police (SSP) Dhanpreet Kaur told Hindustan Times, “We have registered a case against Honey Singh and started further investigations.”

The complaint was filed on behalf of Nawanshahr based NGO, Human Empowerment League of Punjab (HELP), by its general secretary Parvinder Singh Kittna for prohibiting songs laden with lewd contents. Honey Singh’s name was mentioned among others in the petition.

The Punjab and Harayana High Court had rapped the Punjab police for not taking steps against the rapper on 15 May asking, “Why the Punjab government has not taken cognizance of “Main hoon Balatkari” song sung by Honey Singh, even though it attracts the provisions of Section 294 IPC, which is a cognizable offence?”

The rapper was in a fix just when the Nirbhaya gang rape protests rocked the nation. Honey Singh was condemned for his songs which carried derogatory content.

The High Court also questioned as to why the song was still available to the public via YouTube when a song of such stature should have been banned at the earliest.

The court has fixed the next hearing for the case on 4 July.

To contact the editor, e-mail: editor@ibtimes.com

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Barapind sues central govt, Punjab for $ 10m in US court

Anju Agnihotri Chaba : Jalandhar, Sun May 12 2013,

Former militant and Akali Dal Panch Pardhani (ADPP) chief Kulvir Singh Barapind, who was extradited from the United States, has moved a court in that country alleging that he is being tortured by the police officials in Punjab, despite the Indian government‘s assurance to the contrary. Barapind has sued the Republic of India, the state government of Punjab, and several others, under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act and demanded $10 million in damages for “suffering torture in the custody of Punjab Police“.

Among others, he has also sued President Pranab Mukharjee, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, External Affairs Minister, Home Minister, National Security Advisor, Director of National Investigative Agency and Punjab Police chief.

In the complaint moved before the court Barapind through his attorney Kamardeep Singh Athwal has submitted that he was surrendered to Indian authorities on the condition that he would not suffer “torture” in India, but he was arrested on September 19, 2012 by the Nawanshehr Police for alleged “preventive measures” in wake of a Bharat Bandh call by NDA.

He has submitted that he was confined in Ludhiana Jail and was charged under “Unlawful Activities Prevention Act” by Phillaur police. After securing his police remand the police allegedly subjected to torture in custody as “electric shocks” were given to him, which is in violation of extardition treaty.

He has also maintained that despite an Indian court order directing Barapind’s medical examination to determine if he was tortured was never conducted.

– See more at: http://www.indianexpress.com/news/barapind-sues-central-govt-punjab-for-10m-in-us-court/1114674/#sthash.rZjkwHYq.dpuf

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#India – Woman brutally assaulted with iron rods in Ludhiana as people look on #Vaw #WTFnews

IANS | Apr 17, 2013, 04.00 PM IST

READ MORE Ludhiana Assault|Iron Rods

Ludhiana: Four men beat up woman in public

LUDHIANA: A woman was brutally assaulted with iron rods and sticks by a group of men in Punjab’s Ludhiana district – people watched as she cried for help but little help was forthcoming.The incident, which once again demonstrates societal indifference, took place on April 3 and was captured on camera. It comes close on the heels of last month’s incident of Punjab police officers brutally thrashing a young woman in Tarn Taran district.

The victim filed a complaint, leading police in Ludhiana to register a case and launch a hunt to arrest the accused.

Police officials said the woman had gone to meet the accused and demanded that they return the Rs 20,000 that they owed her. She insisted that her money be refunded. At this, the men assaulted her with iron rods and sticks.

Though there were other people present on the spot, none came to the rescue of the helpless woman.

An elderly man and another woman seen in the video trying to stop the men were also attacked and shooed away.

The victim was not only beaten but pushed to the ground and thrashed even as she cried for help.

“We have identified the men involved in this crime. We will arrest them soon,” a police officer said.

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HC orders transfer of seven cops for thrashing Punjab dalit woman #Vaw

TNN Mar 19, 2013,

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Monday ordered immediate transfer of seven policemen, who were caught on camera thrashing a dalit Sikh woman and her father publically in Tarn Taran earlier this month.

The HC ordered authorities to provide security to the woman, who had moved the court seeking protection and action against the cops as they had allegedly threatened her with dire consequences if she proceeded with the case.

The court said IGP (Amritsar range) should appear before it on Tuesday if its order was not implemented. It observed the police had acted in a barbaric manner and were now making the life of the woman and her family miserable. “Police officers cannot be permitted to behave in this manner,” the court said.

Justice Ranjit Singh, who heard the plea, said the woman and her father had told him that they have some recordings indicating the pressure on the family to withdraw the case. “Once the SC has taken note of the incident, this action by the police amounts to interference in the cause of justice and cannot be permitted.”

The court took note of the woman’s claim that Tarn Taran SSP had offered her Rs 4-5 lakh to abandon her pursuit for justice. It asked Amritsar IGP to ensure that the SSP or any police officer does not pressurize the petitioners.

The woman has sought an independent inquiry into the case in a time-bound manner and security cover from Haryana or central police forces while apprehending danger to her life.

The case will come up for hearing on Tuesday when the Punjab police have been asked to file its reply.

The Punjab police had not taken any action against the seven or filed an FIR against them despite the Supreme Court censure over the “inhuman act”. In fact, Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini defended his men saying they had attacked the woman following “ample provocation” two days after the assault on March 5.

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PRESS RELEASE- Punjab Police implicating farmers under Sec 302 of IPC Barbaric

Chandigarh, March 13

Association of Democratic Rights (AFDR), Punjab held a press conference in Kisan Bhawan, Chandigarh on 13the March and condemned the ongoing arrests of around 2000 farmers and leaders of farmer organisations in Punjab.

AFDR said that the way Punjab police has implicated the farmers and their leaders under the Sections of IPC like 302 is undemocratic and barbaric act. General secretary Prof. Jagmohan Singh, State president Prof. Ajmer Singh Aulakh, Press secretary Buta Singh, Organizing secretary Narbhinder, finance secretary Tarsem Lal and Publication secretary Pritpal were present at the conference.

The AFDR said that due to ruthless economic policies of the state and central government, the farmers are in deep crisis in the state. So to lodge protest and struggle for their demands is the democratic right of the farmers.

The AFDR said that instead of indulging into ruthless repression the government should have adopted democratic means and should have engaged the farmers and their organizations in negotiations.

Significantly, the Punjab police raided 319 separate locations on the morning of March 6 and arrested 155 farmer leaders. Following that total 1353 people were arrested and they were sent to various jails in the state. The situation has led resistance and restlessness among various sections of the society.

Crossing all limits of democratic set up, the police even arrested those people who had gone to meet the jailed leaders and activists. The flag marches were organied in Mansa district. In Amritsar district besides, Amritsar police, around 1400 Indian reserve police force has been called to supress the farmers.

Even those who have been arrested have been shifted to jails which are faraway from their home districts. The AFDR understands that it is being done to demoralize the protesting farmers.

The Association also feels that instead of going for an independent probe in the death of ASI in Taran Taran, the police have acted with a bad intention of settling the score and they have booked 13 farmer union activists under Section 302 of IPC for charges of murder. It has been done despite the fact that the postmortem report of the ASI says that he died due to cardiac arrest and there were no signs of any injury on his body.

The Association once again demands from the state government to start political dialogue with farmers instead of slaughtering the democratic rights by organizing flag marches and mass arrests.

According to the facts collected by the AFDR following number of people were arrested from various places and have been sent to jail:

Gurdaspur 240, Mansa 250, Nabha 143, Patiala 8, Fardikot 600 , Sangrur 237, Jalandhar 36, Taran Taran 10, Moga 100, Ferozpur 83, Fazilka 80, Nawan Shahr 16, Barnala 12, Ludhiana 8. (70 women are jailed in Faridkot jail.)

Buta Singh

Press secretary

AFDR, Punjab
########

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PRESS RELEASE-State Repression on Punjab farmers: an offensive response to democratic protest

March 10, 2013

PUDR Press Statement

Democracy within its value frame assumes the right to protest as a vital means towards ensuring the guarantee of those rights and values it stands for. However, today we are witnessing a different ‘culture of democracy’ where the right to protest is increasingly becoming not just an empty notion, in fact, protest itself is being turned into an offence. The mass arrest of members and activists of 17 peasants’ and workers’ organizations in Punjab as a preventive act of securing law and order situation is symptomatic of this different ‘culture of democracy’.

On 6 March, members of these organizations had decided to jam rail traffic under their state-wide ‘Rail Roko’ agitation to push for their long pending demands after witnessing a prolonged response of apathy from the government. The farmers have been demanding an increase in the Minimum Support Price based on the price index, as per the Swaminathan Committee report, more subsidies for the poor and checks on the hike in prices of diesel and other farm inputs. Government responded in pre-emptive confinement of those involved with the agitation, under the name of protection law and order situation. Early in the day, Punjab police arrested Jagmohan Singh (provincial General secretary, BKU Ekta_dakaunda), Dr. Darshan Pal and Satwant Singh Wazidpur, Patiala distt. president & secretary of BKU (Ekta Dakaunda) Darshan Lal, state secretary of Dehati Mazdoor Sabha (CPM Pasla); Ruldu Singh, president of Punjab Khet Union; Harmesh Malri, state president of Pendu Khet Mazdoor Union; Kanwalpreet Singh Pannu, state convener of Kisan Sangharsh Committee (Piddy); Nirbhai Singh Dhudike, Moga president of Kirti Kisan Union; Gurmeet Singh Bakhtupura, AICTU state president and during the day, another 1353 persons were rounded up. Houses of many Union activists were raided and many were detained to be either released by the evening or sent to Judicial Custody.

This act of police repression is an attempt to quell the protest aimed at securing what has been due to the farmers and workers for long. In the given political climate of state repression we apprehend fabrication of false charges against those participating in this people’s movement. The forebodings of such acts are clear in ending into a deterred space of struggle for democratic rights, something that defeats the end that democracy is meant to achieve. PUDR strongly condemns this act of repression by the state elite and demands the immediate release of the activists. PUDR also extends solidarity with protesters and their demands.

Asish Gupta and D. Manjit
(Secretaries, PUDR)

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Supreme court -Police Brutality is gross Human Rights violations #Vaw

SC castigates Punjab, Bihar cops for violation of rights

Dhananjay Mahapatra, TNN | Mar 7, 2013,

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Wednesday took suo motu cognizance of Punjab police assaulting a woman in Tarn Taran and Bihar police caning contractual teachers in Patna saying the governments had failed to safeguard people’s right to life and dignity from “wholly unwarranted” police action

 

Initiating proceedings on its own in discharge of its mandate to protect fundamental rights of citizens, particularly women and weaker sections, a bench of Justices G S Singhvi and Ranjana P Desai said, “We feel that it is proper for this court to take cognizance of the gross violation of human rights as well as the constitutional rights of the people.”

On February 4, television channels showed two Punjab policemen abusing, slapping and caning a 25-year-old dalit woman and her ex-serviceman father in Tarn Taran. The woman was complaining to police against some taxi drivers who allegedly molested her. Though Punjab government ordered a magisterial inquiry, state police chief Sumedh Singh Saini defended non-registration of FIR against the two cops involved in the incident.

The other incident related to lathi-charge and tear gas firing by Bihar police on February 5 against contractual teachers who were demanding wages. Referring to news reports, the bench said, “Contents of the news items revealed that members of Punjab police and Patna police have mercilessly beaten an unarmed woman and teachers. Both the incidents have shocked the conscience of the entire nation.”

The bench faulted the Prakash Singh Badal and the Nitish Kumar governments for failure to take “adequate steps for protecting the people against the wholly unwarranted action taken by the police at Tarn Taran and Patna”.

“These incidents raise important constitutional issues relating to Article 21 (right to life) of the Constitution and dignity of individual,” the bench said and sought assistance of attorney general G E Vahanvati and senior advocates Harish Salve and U U Lalit to help the court as amicus curiae in the matter. It posted further hearing for March 11.

Long before the Justice J S Verma panel, appointed in the aftermath of Nirbhaya’s gang-rape, suggested that judiciary must initiate suo motu action against blatant violations of fundamental rights of citizens, the Supreme Court and high courts have from time to time initiated proceedings on their own, taking cognizance of reports of gross violation of human rights.

The Supreme Court of India may not match its counterpart in Pakistan, which has in the last five years initiated 86 suo motu actions, but it did not remain a mute spectator when citizens’ rights were targeted by those tasked to protect it.

Justice Verma panel had in its January 23 report to the government said, “The judiciary has the primary responsibility of enforcing fundamental rights through constitutional remedies. The judiciary can take suo motu cognizance of such issues being deeply concerned with them both in the Supreme Court and the high courts. An all-India strategy to deal with this issue would be advisable.”

Last year, the Supreme Court had initiated suo motu proceedings in a number of cases, including VVIPs flaunting red beacons on their vehicles and travelling with a large security detail, inconveniencing citizens.

On November 21, the court had taken suo motu cognizance of private guards using firearms, as was alleged in the shootout at a farmhouse killing liquor baron Ponty Chadha and his brother, and asked the Union government to frame a regulatory mechanism for private security agencies.

In another PIL which sought an end to discrimination of women and their protection by police, the apex court had on January 2 suo motu made all states a party to the petition and sought response in four weeks.

 

#Punjabgangrape-police draws flak for revealing survivor’s name #Vaw #Justice

Agencies

Posted On Monday, January 14, 2013

Punjab Police drew criticism from all quarters, including the victim’s kin, after it revealed the name of the 30-year old woman who was abducted and gang raped on Friday night.

The police released the victim’s name in a press note on Sunday. According to reports, the press note was issued after the First Information Report (FIR) was lodged by police on the basis of complaints.

According to lawyer Rahul Verma, naming a rape victim is a punishable offence under Section 228 (a) of the Indian Penal Code.

“The provision is clear; it says nobody can publish the victim’s name in such cases.

Recently, the Supreme Court, in connection with the Delhi gangrape, said no name has to be disclosed, because there is a social stigma that exists in our society,“ he said.

Meanwhile, the incident has spurred an outpouring of anger from women in the state.

“There is a sense of insecurity all the time, we feel threatened. There has been outrage over the Delhi gang rape and another similar incident has occurred here. It shows that women are not safe anywhere,” said Daljeet Kaur, a resident of Pathankot.

Police have arrested six people so far, including the bus driver and conductor.

The woman was travelling by bus to her village when the driver and his assistant drove her to a deserted location and raped her.

Five more people reportedly joined them later and assaulted the woman in a house. They then dropped her off near her village the next morning. The victim went home before going to a police station to file a complaint.

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#Patialagangrape : Punjab and Haryana High Court says enough is enough

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 28
“Enough is enough”, the Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court today asserted, while taking suo-motu cognizance of news reports on suicide by a minor over alleged harassment by the police after rape.

Chief Justice Arjan Kumar Sikri also drew a parallel between the law and order situation prevailing in Delhi and Punjab, and minced no words to say crime against women was on the rise in the state.

In a scathing indictment of the Punjab Police, the Chief Justice went on say: “The manner in which incidents have happened over the past few days is an eye-opener. Enough is enough…. The primary function, nay, the solemn duty of the police is to protect the citizens and track down crimes. However, when the police starts shielding and protecting the culprits and starts treating the victims of crime as accused persons, it is a sad day for the democracy of a country governed by the rules of law.”

Chief Justice Sikri issued notice to Punjab and Haryana along with Chandigarh, directing the authorities concerned to fix responsibility on erring officers before coming out with a detailed report on the incident and circumstances leading to the suicide.

The Chief Justice said the incident depicted a “very sordid sate of affairs”. The victim of rape was not only “harassed by policemen”, but also continuously threatened by the alleged rapists, he observed.

Compelled by “these adverse circumstances and filled with indignation, the minor girl thought the only course of action left was to end her life”.

The Chief Justice added: “Woman rights are human rights”, but in the present case the alleged rapists were “only not arrested, but were allowed to reportedly threaten the victim, as well as her family members. They were allowed to roam freely, and the repeated requests of the victim and her mother had no effect on policemen who remained deaf. On the contrary, they kept harassing the victim and her family by asking awkward questions and passing vulgar remarks, whenever the victim visited the police station”.

In his two-page order, the Chief Justice asserted: “Delhi has already acquired the dubious distinction of being labelled the ‘rape capital’ of the country. Irony is that the state of affairs is not confined to Delhi alone and the situation in Punjab is also far from satisfactory. There is not only an upsurge in general crimes against women, but also heinous and ghastly crimes like rape in the state.

“There is also a need for combating this rape culture by reforming various other institutions. Law for punishing such crimes appears on the statute book. It is the lack of adequate and enforcement system that also contributes to repeated commission of such offences. There is a need for proper law and order machinery in preventing such occurrences. In order to curb such criminality, criminal justice system also required to be revamped and strengthened.”

Notice to Punjab, Haryana  Punjab and Haryana High Court issues notice to Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh  Directs authorities to fix responsibility on erring officers before filing a detailed report on the incident  Justice Sikri draws a parallel between the law and order situation in Delhi and Punjab

Punjab’s shame: Teen who was gangraped commits suicide over policy apathy #Vaw

TNN | Dec 28, 2012, 04.43 AM IST

PATIALA: Harassed by policemen and constantly threatened by her rapists, a minor ended her life on Wednesday night in a village near Patiala, over one-and-a-half month after she was abducted and gang-raped.

In her suicide note, the 17-year-old victim blamed three men and a woman for “destroying her life, which forced to her commit suicide.”

The victim was abducted from Samana in Patiala district and gangraped on November 13. However, it took the local police over two weeks to register a case of rape. And, her tormentors roamed free – though the victim named them in her report – till she killed herself by consuming poison on Wednesday night.

Fearing criticism following her death, the police acted only on Wednesday night, arresting three, including a woman. Another named in the FIR is absconding. Charges of abetment to suicide were also slapped on them.

While an assistant sub-inspector and station house officer of Ghagga police station were dismissed, a DSP was suspended. IGP (Patiala) Paramjit Gill has ordered a departmental inquiry.

The incident has left the Punjab Police shamed as it comes close on the heels of an assistant sub-inspector being gunned down in broad daylight by a SAD leader in Amritsar when he tried to save his daughter from being harassed earlier this month.

In Patiala, not only did the cops refuse to register a case or arrest the accused, they also harassed the victim by asking her “awkward questions” and passing vulgar remarks whenever the victim would visit the Ghagga police station requesting registration of a case.

And, if this was not enough, the accused – Balwinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh and Sandip Singh – had started threatening her and pressuring her not to approach the police or be ready to face dire consequences.

All the accused are clerks with commission agents at local grain markets.

Scared, the victim had even shifted from her village to her relative’s house in Samana town near her village on November 29. But, the accused followed her there too.

When the police failed to register a case despite her repeated rounds to the police station, the victim had gone on record on a video and told a local television channel how police were pressuring her to withdraw her complaint.

The victim, a class 9 dropout, was abducted in the evening by Balwinder Singh and Gurpreet Singh from her village, forcibly pushed inside a car, and taken to a room near a tubewell in the field in nearby Brahamanmajra village and gangraped.

As per her complaint, the girl was repeatedly raped after the accused forcibly made her to swallow some drugs and was later dumped near the gurdwara of her village.

She has also stated that her neighbour Shinderpal Kaur, the fourth accused, was present at the time of her abduction and helped the accused.

According to victim’s elder sister, the police, instead of registering a case, mentally tortured her.

“She would be asked to visit the police station alone in the night and was asked uneasy questions on the pretext of taking her statement,” said her sister.

“She used to be the lone woman in the police station when the male policemen would ask her questions like – “How did they raped you?” After that they would threaten her to withdraw her complaint,” she added.

When the victim did not budge, the police were forced to register a case on November 27.

According to the victim’s mother, the accused had also offered her Rs 5 lakh for not pursuing the case and even the village panchayat members forced the family to withdraw the complaint.

“My daughter died because of these three men and a woman and the policemen who threatened and harassed her. A case should be registered against the policemen too for creating a situation that led to my daughter’s death,” she said.

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