May 03, 2025 06:47 PM IST
After his musical performance in Bengaluru, singer Sonu Nigam has responded to the incident in which a bunch of students “threatened him” to sing in Kannada.
Singer Sonu Nigam has responded to the controversy, which was stirred after his recent musical performance in Bengaluru.
In a video captioned “just love”, which he shared on social media on Saturday evening, Sonu said, “While I was singing my first song, there was a bunch of four-to-five students who were not demanding, but actually threateningly asking me to sing in Kannada. There were many people in the audience who tried to stop them and asked them to not cause disturbance. Unn paanchon ko yeh yaad dilana aur batana bahut zaruri tha ki Pahalgam mein jab pant utaari gayi thi, tab bhaasha nahin poochi gayi thi. I love Kannadigas. They are extremely sweet and beautiful people, and I hold them very close to my heart. So, please do not generalise them. Sirf chaar-panch ladke the jo meri aankhon mein dekh ke gusse se bol rahe the…Har jagah iss tarah ke log hote hain.”
He added, “So, it’s important to not allow them to threaten you as an audience. Saari duniya pyaar se aapke liye aayi hai… I had a one-hour set of Kannada songs. Jo log uksaate hain unhe usi samay rokna bahut zaruri hai. Pyaar ki bhoomi mein nafrat ke beej agar koi bo raha hai toh ussey rokna padega kyunki baad mein woh fasal humein hi kaatni hai.”
Sonu’s response comes in the wake of an event, which was held a few days ago at the East Point College of Engineering and Technology, Virgonagar, Bengaluru. A Pro-Kannada organisation filed a police complaint against the singer, alleging that he hurt the sentiments of the Kannadiga community by linking a fan’s request for Kannada songs with the recent terror attack in Pahalgam (Jammu and Kashmir).
According to an ANI report, the president of the Bengaluru chapter of the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), lodged the complaint against Sonu. The FIR read: “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.”
