India news: 'Suggestive' song row reaches parliament

With Eid two just days away, Delhi's residential area of Uttam Nagar is gripped under threats of communal violence over the killing of a 26-year-old.

A court in Delhi is set to hear petitions by civil groups on Thursday, seeking police security in the area on the Islamic festival of Eid.

What triggered the tensions?

On the Hindu festival of Holi, March 4, local discord broke out when a young Hindu girl is said to have accidentally thrown a water balloon towards a Muslim woman from the locality.

Later in the evening, a 26-year-old from the same Hindu family was attacked by a group of men. He died of his injuries in the hospital. 

As the incident took place between a Hindu and Muslim family, the matter has taken a communal turn.

Right-wing Hindu organizations staged protests against the accused while videos of Hindu religious leaders calling the Muslims 'jihadis' circled on social media. 

Barricades in Uttam Nagar

On Wednesday, a group of Indian lawmakers wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah over alleged threats to Muslims in Uttam Nagar. Indian media reported that the letter described a "highly alarming situation" where residents were facing "open threats" and a "systematic attempt to create fear."

The Association for Protection of Civil Rights, one of the organizations to file a petition in the Delhi court, flagged circulation of posters announcing that "Holi will be celebrated in Uttam Nagar on March 20," that is, on the day of Eid. 

"Such messaging, combined with provocative speeches, has created an atmosphere of fear among residents," the Organisation said in a statement, urging Delhi's police to act against hate speech and threats.

Local residents are now anxious about their safety, particularly regarding the ability to gather peacefully for prayers and celebrations," the statement read. 

The lanes of Uttam Nagar, generally busy and lined with shops selling sweets, toys, are now under heavy barricading. 

The chairman of India's biggest private bank has resigned over incompatible "ethics," the lender said in a notification to Indian stock exchanges. 

Atanu Chakraborty, part-time chairman of HDFC Bank, said: "Certain happenings and practices within the bank, that I have observed over last two years, are not in congruence with my personal values and ethics," without providing more details. 

Chakraborty was appointed in May 2021 for three years and then reappointed in 2024. His second term was set to end in May 2027. 

HDFC Bank is India's largest private-sector lender by assets and the second largest company on Indian exchanges by market capitalization. 

Shares of the bank fell over 4% on Thursday morning.

The Reserve Bank of India assured investors that there were no "material concerns" with the lender, as the resignation sparked concerns about internal governance.

HDFC Bank has "sound financials, professionally run board and competent management team," the central bank said in a statement on Thursday. 

"There are no material concerns on record as regards to its conduct or governance. The bank remains well-capitalized and the financial position of the bank remains satisfactory with sufficient liquidity," it said.

The Indian Navy is deploying additional warships to the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman to ensure safe passage of its vessels carrying LPG and fuel, media reports said citing unnamed sources. 

Bloomberg News and Indian daily Hindustan Times both reported on the story. 

The deployment falls under 'Operation Sankalp,' which was launched in 2019 to safeguard Indian merchant shipping and fuel from the Gulf.

It comes as India  faces LPG shortages at home due to the constricted movement of ships through the Strait of Hormuz amid the war in Iran.

About 65% of India's LPG is imported and 90% of that passed through the strait, India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had said earlier in parliament. 

Millions of tonnes of LPG and crude oil are stuck on 22 Indian-flagged merchant ships in the Gulf, a Shipping Ministry spokesperson said in a press briefing on Wednesday.

India's Foreign Ministry previously said that it was in talks with Tehran to secure safe passage for the ships but there was no blanket agreement for them to pass the strait.

Three Indian vessels, two carrying LPG and one carrying crude, have returned to India from the Gulf this week. 

The Indian Government is prepared to take strict action to protect its citizens, especially children, against harmful content, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said in the parliament, defending the government's ban of a song that has caused an uproar in the country. 

"The framers of the constitution placed certain reasonable restrictions, and we should function within those limits. Freedom of speech cannot be absolute, it has to be in the context of the society and culture," he told the Indian Parliament on Wednesday.

The song in question, called "Sarke Chunar Teri Sarke" is the Hindi version of a southern movie's song "Sarse Ninna Serage Sarse," written by Kannada director Prem.

While Indian cinema has long produced songs which are sexually suggestive, they generally skirt censorship by hiding behind double meanings — something this song fails to do.

On Thursday, the National Commission for Women (NCW) issued a statement on media reports alleging obscenity and vulgarity in the song. 

"Observing that the content prima facie appears to be sexually suggestive, objectionable, and violative of provisions under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, IT Act, and POCSO Act, the Commission has taken serious note of the matter," it said, referring to India's criminal code and the law protecting children against sexual offenses. 

It went on to issue summons to the actors, lyricist, producer and director of the Hindi song, requesting them to appear before the commission.

The NCW warned that failure to appear would lead to further legal action.

Most parties responsible for making the song have either apologized or defended their role in the song's making. The official music video was taken off all platforms.

Actress Norah Fatehi, a dancer in the song's music video, said she had recorded it for a different language, which she did not speak. In a video posted to social media, she argued that she was unaware of the nature of the Hindi song's lyrics and thanked viewers for protesting against it.

Meanwhile, social media users debated the song's lyrics.

Some called it out, saying it encouraged sexual teasing and would negatively impact India's youth. Others argued that while the song was in bad taste, Indian cinema was not new to lewd lyrics and the ban was a form of selective outrage.

Good morning! and welcome to DW's India blog. 

This is Mahima Kapoor from the New Delhi studio, and I will be bringing you a roundup of the biggest headlines from India on Thursday. 

Indians continue to deal with a shortage in liquified petroleum cooking gas amid the conflict in Iran and according to reports, India's navy has dispatched more warships to the Gulf to safely escort Indian vessels, likely carrying fuel, back home.

India's stock market took a significant tumble on Thursday, partially due to the war in Iran, and partially because the chairman of India's largest private bank resigned over "practices within the bank."

Meanwhile the Indian capital has woken up to fairly pleasant weather after a windstorm and rainfall last evening. The country's meteorological agency has warned of more thunderstorms, lightning and "gusty winds" in large parts of India.

Indians also woke up to an ongoing controversy over the "sexually suggestive" lyrics of a southern movie's song which has the national women's commission taking cognizance. The matter has even reached the Indian parliament. 

Stick with us as we break down the day's news for you.