Rival issuing rape, death threats: Haryana singer

ROHTAK: Barely two-and-a-half months after immensely popular Haryanvi singer-dancer Harshita Dahiya was shot dead after a stage show in a Panipat village, a Ragini singer-dancer Aarti Bhoria in Rohtak on Wednesday filed a police complaint against her rival Gauri Rani, claiming she was using hired criminals to issue rape and death threats to her.
Harshita Dahiya's murder on October 18 last year had put the world of Haryana's Ragini singers in the spotlight. Another singer, Beenu Chaudhary, had been killed in a similar manner in Haridwar in 2012.

After filing a formal complaint at Rohtak's Anaj Mandi Chowki, Aarti Bhoria told the media that she and Hisar-based Gauri Rani dance in programmes hosted by their fans across Haryana, but now her rival was forcing Aarti to stop performing at the same functions as her. Six months ago, according to Aarti, Gauri Rani had allegedly got her beaten up during a live dance programme. She added that hired thugs had barged into her residence and threatened her of dire consequences if she doesn't stop performing at the same events as Gauri Rani.

Rival's associate had threatened over phone'

Aarti claimed her family had ignored the incident and had not filed a police complaint at the time, but she was now getting rape threats allegedly from an associate of her rival Gauri Rani.

She said Sumit Dalal of Bahadurgah in Haryana's Jhajjar district had been contacting her on cellphone and was threatening to rape her if she continued to perform on the same stage as Gauri Rani. She claimed Sumit had a history of crimes . ASI Vinod Kumar, said the police have received Aarti's complaint against Dalal for issuing her rape and death threats.

Who are Ragini singers?

Ragini, a simple poem, originally had social, economic, religious and cultural themes. These were sung before large audiences, often at chaupals, in villages. Earlier, noted Haryanvi singers Pandit Lakhmi Chand and Pandit Mange Ram attracted huge crowds. However, as with other forms and exposure on social media, these got corrupted and became raunchy.

A new crop of singers, with mass following, is fighting it out there for money and fame which is also measured in likes, comments and shares on YouTube. Instant popularity and earnings — often just after uploading one video on YouTube — have turned many newage Ragini performers into overnight sensations.