"I find this incident profoundly disturbing."
Mehwish Hayat and Yo Yo Honey Singh are the subject of a complaint to the UK government over a Birmingham-set music video featuring children brandishing guns.
‘Jatt Mehkma‘, which has amassed nearly 40 million views on YouTube since its release in November 2024, sparked outrage for depicting four young boys opening fire on a group of men using imitation automatic weapons and shotguns.
Filmed at Eastnor Castle in Herefordshire and in Birmingham city centre, the music video has been flagged to the UK’s Home Office by Stratford-upon-Avon MP Manuela Perteghella.
She said: “I am waiting for the Home Office response to our queries.”
A source said Home Office officials are actively considering so-called exclusion orders for Mehwish and Honey, meaning they would be banned from entering the UK.
This would be on the grounds that their presence is “not conducive to the public good”.
The government is understood to be weighing the option of an exclusion order over legal action, as it would be faster and simpler to implement against non-UK nationals.
Officials are said to be concerned about potential violations involving the use of imitation firearms and exposing minors to harmful content.
Neither Mehwish Hayat nor Yo Yo Honey Singh has responded to the controversy.
Blue Bling Production House, a UK-registered company, was involved in the video’s production.
But its founder, Vipulkumar Sharma, said his role was limited to logistical support:
“We only handled accommodation, transport, and catering services.”
Shaykh Paul Salahuddin Armstrong, managing director of the Association of British Muslims and a chaplain at the University of Birmingham, condemned the video’s portrayal of children with weapons.
He said: “As someone who has worked with vulnerable youth for nearly two decades, I find this incident profoundly disturbing.
“To see British children brandishing imitation firearms in a stylised gang scene, filmed on our soil and facilitated by UK production companies, is not only a moral failure, but potentially a legal one.
“This is not art. It is the reckless glorification of violence, dressed up as cultural entertainment.”
“It undermines all our collective efforts to steer young people away from gang culture and towards lives of dignity, purpose, and contribution to society.”
BBC Asian Network, which previously aired the track, is not expected to feature it again.
A spokesperson said: “Each track is considered for the playlist based on its musical merit and whether it is right for our target audience, with decisions made on a case-by-case [basis].”
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