Two days after a folk singer was booked by the Uttarakhand Police over his song alleging misgovernance in the state, the Congress has thanked the singer for “helping the CM introspect” as the Opposition party drew a connection between the song and the government’s announcement of a new campaign to improve deaddiction facilities and rehabilitation centres to tackle drug abuse.
Pawan Semwal, a Garhwali singer, had uploaded his new song online with the caption: “How much more will you devour these mountains? You’ve turned them into dens of gambling and alcohol, unemployment, and corruption.”
Subsequently, an FIR was registered on Saturday on the complaint of one Manju. The FIR alleges that “not only have statements been made against the state government, but the singer has also attempted to dishonour the dignity of the women, daughters, and mothers of Uttarakhand”. Calling the statements in the song “extremely offensive” and made with the intent to insult or outrage the modesty of all women residing in Uttarakhand, the complainant said that such lyrics create a feeling of insecurity among visitors and residents regarding the safety of women and portray a negative image of Uttarakhand’s women across India.
Semwal has claimed that he was asked to take down the song from Facebook. He had modified the song and posted it again after removing the CM’s name from it. “If they have worked well, their image is clean. Why are they pressuring me to take it down?” he had asked after the FIR was registered. Semwal had earlier composed a song on former CM Trivendra Singh Rawat.
Two days later, the CMO said in a statement that a “firm policy and strict implementation plan” has been rolled out to strengthen mental health and deaddiction services. The campaign is being kicked off under provisions of the Mental Healthcare Act, 2017, and the government notification dated July 24, 2023.
Speaking on the government’s announcement, Congress spokesperson Garima Dasauni said that the song made Dhami introspect.
“There is a connection between the song and the campaign. It also has a connection with the panchayat elections in the state. Dhami has been the CM for four years, and he is remembering these issues of drug addiction now. These were issues the CM had promised earlier, but his priority was on communal matters. Now, when people like Semwal started taking up these issues, the CM realised the mistake. I am thankful to Semwal for helping the CM introspect and realise that the youth of the state are disappointed with the government,” she said.
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According to the CMO communication, every district’s Mental Health Review Board must conduct at least one meeting per month to ensure continuous inspection and monitoring. It added that each deaddiction centre is being thoroughly scrutinised, and those not meeting the required norms or operating without registration are being identified for financial penalties and immediate closure.
