Amid rising concern over the glorification of gangsters in regional music, Haryana Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh on Sunday issued a sharp directive to senior police officers, calling for uncompromising action against singers whose songs or videos promote gang culture and influence young listeners towards crime.
He said that the singers, who promote gang lifestyles to youth through music and videos, should be treated as criminals, and strict legal action should be taken against them. These people, in a matter of minutes, destroy the teachings given to youth by their parents, education by teachers, and the society’s discipline, he added.
Moreover, 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. Amid mounting concerns over the impact of such content on youth, police had earlier directed the removal of 40 controversial songs from social media platforms.
Additionally, to crack down on gangster culture in regional music, a senior police officer had earlier convened a meeting with prominent Haryana-based singers, including Amit Saini Rohtakiya, Mukesh Jaji, Narender Bhagana, and several others and urged them to avoid glorifying criminals, weapons, and drugs.
A senior police officer said, “These songs glorify negative elements of 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.”
He further said that many such songs were exploited by anti-social elements to glorify their gangs.” We have no personal agenda against any artist. But we cannot allow the corruption of youth through such content. It’s our responsibility to channel their energy in the right direction.”
It should be mentioned here that this issue gained prominence a few months ago, when the State police 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. The directive extends beyond social media, with singers told to stay away from banned songs at concerts or public functions as well.