October 24, 2019: The Metropolitan Crime Division on Thursday arrested rapper Samir Ghising, popularly known as VTEN, on charges of promoting “values that go against social norms” through his songs.
Rapper Ghising had become a cultural sensation after the release of his song, ‘Hami yestai ta ho ni bro’. The song, whose title has entered common parlance, has been viewed over 19 million times on Youtube in the four months since its release.
Ghising’s arrest comes days after police arrested another singer, Durgesh Thapa, for allegedly promoting similar “anti-social values” in his recent song.
The police’s arrest of popular singers and comedians has been criticised by many for engaging in moral policing and detaining citizens without significant cause.
Freedom of speech and expression has come under heavy fire since the formation of the Nepal Communist Party government.
Earlier in February, another singer, Pashupati Sharma, was threatened by the sister organisation of the ruling party for his song, ‘Lootna sakey loot’, which was a satirical take on the corruption prevalent in Nepal’s public sector. The song, which had received an overwhelmingly positive response from listeners on social media and other platforms, was pulled from Youtube just 48 hours after its release.
Source: kathmandu post