No songs glorifying drugs, alcohol, or weapons allowed at Yo Yo Honey Singh’s Pune concert, say police

PUNE: The city police have directed that rapper-singer Yo Yo Honey Singh will not be allowed to perform songs promoting alcohol, drugs or use of weapons during his concert scheduled here on April 18.

The directive follows a letter by district child protection officer Mangesh Jadhav, who flagged that some of the performer's songs glorify substance use and gun culture, which could allegedly adversely impact children. Jadhav urged the police to ensure that no "vulgar language" is used during the performance. "We intervene where any event is likely to negatively affect children. We have no objection to the performance itself and have only conveyed concerns raised by a complainant with us," he said.

Deputy commissioner of police (DCP-Zone 7) Somay Munde told TOI, "We received the letter and informed the organisers that objectionable songs will not be permitted. They have agreed to comply."

The concert is slated to be held at Mahalaxmi Lawns on Pune-Ahilyanagar Road. It was earlier scheduled for April 4, but was postponed due to heavy rain in the city on preceding days.

Jadhav said he approached the police following a complaint by a Chandigarh-based sociology professor, Punditrao Dharenavar, who has been raising concerns against such performances. Dharenavar said he had also approached authorities in Mumbai ahead of the singer's show there last month.

In his letter, Jadhav asked the police to ensure that the event content remains child-appropriate and in line with statutory safeguards. He also flagged specific songs, including ‘One Bottle Down', ‘Chaar Bottle Vodka', ‘Manali Trance', ‘This Party Getting Hot' and ‘Makhna', stating that they should not be allowed at the concert.

Dharenavar told TOI he has been campaigning for nearly a decade against songs that glorify alcohol, drugs and weapons. "I have approached authorities in several states, including Telangana and Gujarat, regarding performances by singers such as Diljit Dosanjh and Sunidhi Chauhan. The aim is to discourage content that promotes harmful behaviour among children," he said.

He added that he had moved the Punjab and Haryana high courts in 2016 on the issue, following which directions were issued to the states in 2019. In his recent complaint, Dharenavar also objected to songs like ‘Millionaire', alleging that it promotes tobacco consumption.

In a separate letter, he urged police to restrict stage acts, such as bringing a car onto the platform, as seen during a recent Mumbai performance of Singh. However, DCP Munde said organisers have already clarified that no such act is planned for the Pune event.