Who Sang ‘Hum Dekhenge' at Veera Sathidar Memorial? Nagpur cops don't know

Time of India

20-05-2025

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Nagpur: Even a week after
Nagpur police
invoked the stringent Section 152 of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), akin to sedition under the erstwhile Indian Penal Code, against three persons for recitation of Pakistani poet
Faiz Ahmed Faiz
's revolutionary 'nazm', "
Hum Dekhenge
", they failed to identify who sang the Urdu couplets at the event in memory of acclaimed filmmaker Veera Sathidar.
Though Pushpa Sathidar, wife of the late filmmaker, was charged with endangering national sovereignty and promoting communal disharmony under Section 152 BNS, she did not recite the poem, she was only the organiser.
Talking to TOI, senior inspector of Sitabuldi police station, Vitthal Singh Rajput, said, "We are trying to identify the participants of the event, including the woman from 'Samta Kala Manch' who recited Faiz's poem.
We have the recording of the event, the probe is ongoing, and statements will be recorded. Those who recited the couplets and raised anti-establishment slogans are likely to have gone underground, but they will be tracked down soon.
No arrests have been made yet. A woman inspector, Rakhi Gedam, is leading the probe."
The memorial on May 13 under the banner of Veera Sathidar Smruti Samanvay Samiti, was co-organised by Samta Kala Manch, a Leftist cultural outfit.
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Veera Sathidar, who died of Covid in April 2021, was known for his stellar role in the film 'Court', which was India's official entry at the 2016 Academy Awards.
The recitation of "Hum Dekhenge", a poem associated with resistance and protest, led to an FIR being filed at Sitabuldi police station against Pushpa Sathidar and two others under Section 152 of BNS. The complaint, lodged by right-wing activist Dattatreya Shirke, was prompted by a YouTube video of the event, which also featured a speaker praising the poem's call for an uprising against what was described as an "intolerant and tyrannical regime".
The controversy reignited discussions on Faiz's 'nazm', previously linked to anti-CAA protests, and its perceived anti-establishment undertones. The event also drew attention amid surveillance on socio-cultural groups suspected of indulging in subversive activity.
Pushpa Sathidar, who is continuing her husband's legacy of advocating for the oppressed, organised the memorial to honour Veera's contributions as an actor, writer, and political thinker.
The event saw over 100 attendees, including members of Left organisations, and allegedly featured a speech critical of the proposed Maharashtra Special Public Security Bill.
Nagpur police's inability to identify the singer a week after the FIR has raised questions about the investigation's progress, with critics pointing to broader concerns about
freedom of expression
and use of stringent laws like Section 152 of BNS, which replaces the colonial-era sedition law.