Marathi rapper booked for 'defamatory' song against Shinde-led Maharashtra govt

Police in Maharashtra’s Thane district has registered a case against a Marathi rapper for allegedly defaming the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government though his video song.

A Shiv Sena activist owing allegiance to the Shinde faction at Ambernath in Thane district had lodged a complaint against rap singer Raj Mungase over a song he recently uploaded on YouTube which uses words such as “pannas khoke” (fifty cartons) and “chor” (thieves), said a police official on Thursday.

An FIR was registered on Tuesday against Mungase under Sections 501 (defamation), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) and 505(2) (statements creating enmity between classes) of the IPC at Shivajinagar police station in Ambernath, he added. No arrest has been made, the official said.

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Leaders loyal to Uddhav Thackeray have often labelled the MLAs of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, who rebelled last year and brought down the Thackeray government, as “chor” and the ones who took “khoke” or cartons of money to switch sides.

Shinde became the chief minister last year with the BJP’s support after splitting the Shiv Sena. Incidentally, NCP leader and former minister Jitendra Awhad had on Tuesday shared Mungase’s video song on Twitter and said he hoped police would not arrest him. In a fresh tweet on Thursday, Awhad questioned what crime Mungase had committed.

Earlier this week, a woman worker of the Thackeray faction alleged that workers of the rival Shiv Sena attacked her over her Facebook post criticising CM Shinde. The Shinde group denied the allegations. Thane city police, though, have registered a case of defamation against her for the Facebook post.

(With Agency inputs)