Sonu Nigam faces police complaint for his remarks on Kannada at Bengaluru concert

Singer Sonu Nigam has landed in controversy after a pro-Kannada organisation filed a police complaint accusing him of making offensive remarks about the Kannada language during a concert held on April 25–26 at East Point College of Engineering and Technology in Bengaluru.

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The complaint was filed by Dharmaraj A, President of the Bengaluru District Unit of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV), who alleged that Nigam’s comments "deeply hurt the sentiments of the Kannadiga community" and had the potential to incite linguistic tension.

According to the complaint, the controversy began when a student requested the singer to perform a Kannada song. In response, Nigam allegedly said, "Kannada, Kannada, Kannada... this is exactly why the incident happened in Pahalgam," referring to the April 22 terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir. The remark, now circulating widely on social media, has been slammed for linking a simple cultural request to a violent act.

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Dharmaraj stated that Nigam’s comparison equated Kannada pride with intolerance, painting Kannadigas in a negative light and potentially threatening communal harmony in Karnataka. He urged police to book the singer under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for promoting enmity, criminal defamation, and outraging linguistic sentiments.

When a group of people asked Sonu Nigam to sing a Kannada song during the concert, the singer was visibly irritated and lashed out at the crowd. He further made those comments, pointing the people who were asking him to sing Kannada songs instead of Hindi songs.

The incident has sparked outrage among Kannada film personalities and pro-Kannada activists online, with many demanding a public apology from Nigam. While some have called for a ban on the singer, a section of his fans has defended him, saying he has shown respect for the Kannada language in the past and deserves a chance to clarify or apologise.

(With agency inputs)