Complaint filed against Sonu Nigam for ‘objectionable’ statements against the Kannadiga community

A complaint has been filed against singer Sonu Nigam for “hurting the sentiments” of the Kannada community following an interaction with a student at a recent event. The complainant, Dharmaraj A, the President of the Bengaluru unit of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), a pro-Kannada organisation, said Nigam’s statements incited hatred among various linguistic communities and are likely to provoke violence in Karnataka.

The complaint is based on an incident at his April 25-26 concert in Bengaluru's East Point College of Engineering and Technology. During the performance, a student demanded that Nigam sing in Kannada, which prompted a heated response from the singer. He referenced the recent terror attack at Kashmir’s Pahalgam, saying, “This is the reason behind the incident in Pahalgam. Please see who is standing before you. I love you guys.”

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He further stated that he always comes with a lot of love and respect when coming to perform in Karnataka, but the student’s statement did not sit well with him. “You have treated me like your family, but I didn’t like when the boy there, who is not even as old as my career, is rudely threatening me to sing in Kannada.”

As reported by ANI, the complaint reads, “By linking a simple request to sing a Kannada song to a terrorist act, Shri Nigam insulted the Kannadiga community and equated their cultural pride and linguistic identity with violence and intolerance.”

“Shri Sonu Nigam’s statements are objectionable, divisive and harmful to communal harmony.” The 51-year-old has been booked under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 352(1), 351(2), and 353 for promoting enmity, criminal defamation, and outraging linguistic sentiments.

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