Four-five boys in audience were threatening me to sing in Kannada: Sonu Nigam after FIR
New Delhi, May 4 (PTI): Singer Sonu Nigam, who is currently facing an FIR for allegedly offending the sentiments of Kannadigas during a recent concert in Bengaluru, has stated that he was "threatened" by a small group of boys to sing in Kannada at the event.
He also urged people "not to generalise" or hold the entire community responsible for the actions of a few.
An FIR was registered at the Avalahalli Police Station in Bengaluru on Saturday against the popular playback singer for reportedly retorting, "Kannada. Kannada. This is the reason behind the incident in Pahalgam," in response to an audience member's request to sing in Kannada.
In his complaint, Dharamaraj Ananthayya, the president of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), said Nigam had not only insulted Kannadigas but also likened their cultural pride and linguistic identity to violence and intolerance by linking the request for a Kannada song to a terrorist act.
Nigam, 51, shared his side of the story in a video on Instagram posted on Saturday.
"There were four-five goon-type people who were shouting 'Kannada-Kannada' angrily. There were girls who were requesting them not to shout like that, asking them not to disturb the scene. It's important to tell those four-five people that terrorists in Pahalgam didn't ask the language of the people...
"You have to not allow them to threaten you as an audience to make you sing. But those provoke others, it's important to stop them right away. If someone is sowing the seeds of hatred in the land of love, we must stop them. Kannadigas are beautiful people, so please do not generalise them. There were just four-five boys who were looking at me angrily after I finished my first song. They were not demanding, they were threatening. You can ask people who were there," he said.
The incident occurred during a live concert on April 25 at a college in Bengaluru. Nigam paused his performance when someone from the audience loudly demanded that he sing in Kannada. Frustrated by the repeated shouts of "Kannada, Kannada," the singer responded sharply from the stage.
In a video that went viral on social media, Nigam is also heard saying that some of the best songs of his career are in Kannada and that Karnataka has always treated him like family, but he was irked by how the demand was made.
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CM Siddaramaiah labels Kumaraswamy 'Manuvadi" over Bhagavad Gita curriculum push
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday took a swipe at Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy, by calling him a "Manuvadi" after his alliance with the BJP, for seeking the inclusion of Bhagavad Gita in curriculum for students.
The CM's dig came in response to Kumaraswamy's recent letter to Union Minister for Education Dharmendra Pradhan, requesting the inclusion of the Bhagavad Gita in the curriculum of students.
"After Kumaraswamy joined hands with the BJP for elections, he has become a Manuvadi," Siddaramaiah told reporters here after paying tributes to B R Ambedkar on his 69th death anniversary here.
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Remembering Ambedkar, Siddaramaiah highlighted his contribution to the Constitution and his relentless fight to provide social justice.
The CM noted said fed up with social and caste system in Hinduism, and unable to reform it, Ambedkar accepted Buddhism.
He said, "Ambedkar, towards the end of his life, quit Hinduism and joined Buddhism. He was born in Hinduism, but cannot die in Hinduism, because he could not reform Hinduism, despite several efforts, so he accepted Buddhism."
