Local police have gone on the offensive against folk singer Saroj Sargam and her husband in a decisive action that has attracted a lot of attention because they were accused of posting a YouTube video that was considered offensive by many viewers against Goddess ‧Durga. A police official, who addressed the media on Wednesday, said that Sargam uploaded the controversial video on September 19, and he is based in Garhwa village of Mirzapur district. The video immediately provoked the rage of Hindu believers, and the complaint was made by Sub-Inspector Santosh Kumar Rai of the Madihan police station. A special cyber-surveillance team was immediately formed, and an FIR was registered as a measure to sort the digital trail.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Somen Barma issued a video statement to confirm that forensic examination had confirmed the involvement of both Saroj Sargam and her husband, Ram Milan Bind in the making of the film. The director of the production, known as Bind, was the one who had to script and film. Both of them were arrested on Tuesday as part of the large-scale crackdown on the supposed crime.
Besides the content-related charges, it was also shown by the SSP that Sargam had encroached 15bighas of forest land illegally fact that was reaffirmed by a joint operation between the forest and the police department. The intrusion that has until now gone uncontrolled will be handled in accordance with the relevant environmental and land-use laws, and legal action is already being pursued.
Religious leaders did not pass unnoticed by the release of the video. Yoganand Giri, the leading saint in the Juna Akhara and the mahant of Badrinath Temple, publicly requested that the singer be arrested at once. He threatened to mobilise his members of his akhara on the streets to demand justice in the case the authorities failed.
The YouTube channel of Sargam, with over 60,000 subscribers, has around 35-40 videos in its portfolio. The fame of the channel has increased the controversy, and the incident has become a point of debate on freedom of speech, religious sensibility, and the use of digital media to mold popular opinion. Police investigators are currently considering the more general backdrop of the video, such as a potential hate-speech claim, and will exercise all legal means and ways as the case unfolds.
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