NAWANSHAHR (TIP): Three days after Punjab and Haryana high court rapped Punjab government for not taking action against controversial singer Honey Singh, Punjab police on Friday registered an FIR against him at the Nawanshahr police station.

The singer has been booked under Section 294 of the IPC (obscene acts and songs) for crooning vulgar songs, one of which is titled ‘Main Hoon Balatkari’ (I’m a rapist). The high court on May 14 had pulled up the Punjab government and asked it to get tough with the Hoshiarpur-born singer, who already has a similar police case registered against him in Lucknow.

“We have started collecting evidence against the singer regarding the case and our next course of action will depend entirely on what we lay our hands on,” said Nawanshahr SSP Dhanpreet Kaur. Police registered the case on the complaint of Parvinder Singh Kitna, a local resident, who also heads an NGO. The complaint was filed in January but at that time, the police had refused to register a case, prompting Kitna to move the HC seeking ban on playing and sale of vulgar songs in the state. According to the FIR, Honey’s songs were crossing all barriers of decency and his one particular song – ‘Mein Hoon Balatkari’ — even provoked sexual violence against women.

Honey and some of his songs had come under the spotlight in the wake of Nirbhaya gang rape case for use of sexist lyrics and commodifying women. The singer had faced flak from various quarters. Some of his programmes were forcibly cancelled when the entire nation was shocked over Nirbhaya’s plight. Conviction under Section 294 of the IPC can lead to imprisonment, which may extend up to three years. Meanwhile, the high court has also directed Honey to appear before it on July 4, when the case will come up for hearing again.