Stop promoting gangsters & crimes in music, STF tells Haryanvi singers
Gurgaon: In a move to curb the growing influence of gangster culture in regional music, the special task force (STF) has asked singers to stop glorifying criminals, weapons, and drugs in their songs.
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The directive comes amid mounting concerns over the impact of such content on youth and follows the removal of 40 controversial songs from social media platforms over the past three months.
The inspector-general of police, STF, Simardeep Singh, convened a special meeting at the city's STF office on Friday with prominent Haryana-based singers, including Amit Saini Rohtakiya, Mukesh Jaji, Narender Bhagana, and several others.
"These songs glorify negative elements of the society and significantly influence young minds. Our technical cell maintains strict vigilance online and promptly initiates the removal of such content. This monitoring will continue," Singh said.
The controversy over provocative lyrics in Haryanvi songs has been simmering for years. The genre, known for its folk roots, has increasingly faced criticism for shifting towards themes of violence and criminal behaviour.
The issue gained prominence in March this year, when the city cops halted singer Masoom Sharma's concert at Leisure Valley after he performed a previously banned song — 'Ek Khatola Jail Ke Bhitar'.
Similar action has been taken against Punjabi singers as well, including Happy Raikoti, and the late Sidhu Moosewala, who faced an FIR in 2020 for promoting gun culture. In fact, the Punjab and Haryana high court had in 2019 passed an order prohibiting the promotion of weapons or drugs in songs.
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At the Friday meeting, IG Singh insisted that many such songs were exploited by anti-social elements to glorify their gangs.
"We have no personal agenda against any artiste. But, we cannot allow the corruption of youth through such content. It's our responsibility to channel their energy in the right direction," he added.
The directive extends beyond social media, with singers told to stay away from banned songs at concerts or public functions as well. This has led to objections from some artistes, who claim they were being unfairly targeted – an issue that reached the Haryana assembly during its budget session.
Urging the singers to create "responsible content" that positively influenced young audiences, the singers were warned of legal consequences if they violated the order.
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