New Delhi: The Uttar Pradesh police have registered an FIR against folk singer Neha Singh Rathore under multiple charges including “endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India”. Shortly after, another FIR has been registered by the UP police against activist and professor Madri Kakoti, better known as Dr. Medusa, under the same charges.

In Rathore's case, the complainant referred to the Pahalgam terror attack and the killing of 26 people and has alleged that Rathore’s posts were objectionable and could adversely affect the national integrity, reported Press Trust of India.

"In this situation, singer and poetess Neha Singh Rathore, using her Twitter (now X) handle @nehafolksinger made some objectionable posts that can adversely affect the national integrity and made repeated efforts to incite one community against another based on religion," the complainant, Abhay Pratap Singh said in his complaint. Thereafter, an FIR was registered at Lucknow’s Hazratganj police station.

“The statements by Neha Singh Rathore against India are going viral in Pakistan and people in Pakistan are praising Neha Singh Rathore. The Pakistani media is using all the statements of Neha Singh Rathore against India and our enemy country is raising question marks against Bharat. At such a time of crisis, the constant statements of Neha Singh Rathore against India are taking away the honour of entire poet community and country,” says the FIR in the case.

In some of the posts mentioned in the FIR, Rathore questions that who will benefit from the Pahalgam attack and also asks if there was some prior inkling of a terrorist attack.

'By lodging FIR against me, government wants to divert attention from real issues'

Rathore, in response to the FIR, said that the government has taken action against her to divert attention from real issues.

“What has the government done in response to the Pahalgam attack? An FIR against me? By lodging an FIR against me, the government wants to divert attention from real issues. Is this too difficult to understand? If you have the strength, go get the heads of the terrorists. There is no need to blame me for your failures. Just as each vote is important in a democracy, each question is also important. The government has a problem with me asking questions and that is why wants to stop me from asking questions,” said Rathore in a video statement on X.

FIR against Dr. Medusa

Soon after Rathore's case, another FIR came to light, registered against another popular face on social media, Madri Kakoti or Dr. Medusa, who is known for her satirical content and is often critical of the government. An Assitant Professor at Lucknow University, Kakoti had recently posted a video on the Pahalgam attack went viral, especially in Pakistan.

In the video, she talks about the lack of unity in India on religious grounds and demands safety for Kashmiris across the country. In Hindi, she says given how divided the country is on religious and other lines, it will "not take even a second to incite riots". Calling for the protection of the Kashmiri people living outside Kashmir, she called for demanding justice, not revenge.

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