Singer Sonu Nigam is currently involved in controversy after it was claimed that he made comments that offended the Kannadiga community. Nigam allegedly connected a request from a Kannada fan to a terror attack that took place in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, which sparked the uproar.
According to ANI, the president of the Bengaluru city district of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) submitted an official complaint. According to the complaint, Nigam made remarks that would provoke animosity between Karnataka's various linguistic communities and possibly spark violence.
“Sonu Nigam's statements have caused severe distress to the Kannadiga community. By equating a simple cultural request to sing a Kannada song with a terrorist act, Shri Nigam has portrayed Kannadigas as intolerant or violent, which is contrary to their peace-loving and harmonious nature," the complaint read.
No formal FIR has been filed as of yet, despite the Bengaluru Police confirming that they have received the allegation. Sonu Nigam has not yet responded to the charges in public.
A video of Sonu Nigam at a musical performance at East Point College of Engineering and Technology in Virgonagar, Bengaluru, on April 25–26 went viral on social media, sparking the controversy. In the video, Sonu is heard claiming that a fan had "threatened" him to sing in Kannada, drawing a controversial comparison between the incident and the terror attack in Pahalgam that occurred on April 22.
Sonu Nigam said, “Mujhe accha nahi laga ki waha ek ladka jiski umar, jitni uske umar nahi hogi use pehle toh main Kannada gaane garaha hoon (I didn’t like that there was a boy there, who probably wasn’t even old enough, and first of all, I was already singing Kannada songs).”
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Sonu Nigam refused, explaining that the fan was forcefully insisting he sing the song. he further stated, “Yahi kaaran hai, Pahalgam mein jo hua hai na. Yahi kaaran hai jo kar rahe ho, jo kiya tha na abhi. Dekho toh kaun saamne khada hai (This is the reason for what happened in Pahalgam. This is the reason for what you are doing, what you did just now. Look at who is standing in front of you).
The nation has been shocked by the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam. The incident, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists, has also heightened tensions in the already strained relationship between India and Pakistan.
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