BENGALURU: The Bengaluru District Police issued a notice on Monday to vocalist Sonu Nigam, requesting him to present himself to the investigating officer within seven days.
The notice follows a First Information Report registered against Nigam on May 3 at Avalahalli Police Station in Bengaluru Rural District.
The FIR pertains to allegedly offensive comments about the Kannadiga community during a musical performance in Bengaluru. The incident, which occurred on stage, was recorded and subsequently became viral on social media.
Dharmaraj A, who heads the Bengaluru City District Unit of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike, a Kannada advocacy organisation, filed the complaint. The police registered the case under IPC Sections 351(2), 352(1), and 353.
The filed complaint states that Sonu Nigam made statements that were “objectionable and emotionally provocative”, which offended the Kannadiga community’s sentiments and fostered animosity amongst Karnataka’s linguistic groups.
Subsequently, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike organised a demonstration at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, opposing Nigam’s alleged anti-Kannada remarks.
In response to the situation earlier this week, Nigam stated he had not intended to cause offence and was simply performing.
The singer utilised social media to clarify that a small group of four to five people had disrupted his event by making threats and demanding he perform in Kannada.
In a self-made video posted on his Instagram handle, Sonu Nigam said, “There were only 4-5 goons who were shouting. In fact, thousands of people were stopping them. I remember the girls were shouting at them, ‘Don’t disturb the scene.’ And it was very important to remind them that no one asked for the language when the pants were taken off in the Pahalgam incident… Kannadigas are very nice people. Don’t think there’s any wave or movement; there are always a few bad people everywhere. I’m sure of it.”
He continued, “It’s important to stop people who provoke others because it becomes a bigger issue later. In a land of love, if someone is sowing the seeds of hatred, you have to stop them. We will have to cut this crop later. Kannadigas are beautiful people, so please don’t generalise them. There were only 4-5 boys who looked at me with anger. Not even half an hour into the show, after the first song, they started looking at me–not demanding, but threatening.”