Plaint against singer Sonu Nigam for ‘provocative’ remarks
BENGALURU: President of Bengaluru City District Unit of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike A Dharmaraj has filed a complaint against popular singer Sonu Nigam for allegedly making objectionable and emotionally provocative statements during a musical event at a private engineering college at Virgonagar on April 25. The complaint was filed on Friday in Avalahalli police station. However, no case has been registered.
The complainant has stated that the singer’s statements have deeply hurt the sentiments of the Kannadiga community, incited hatred among various linguistic communities in Karnataka, and are likely to provoke violence. A video of Sonu Nigam’s statement has gone viral.
“During the musical event, a student requested Sonu Nigam to sing a Kannada song. In response, Sonu Nigam made an objectionable statement, saying, ‘Kannada, Kannada, Kannada, this is exactly why the incident happened in Pahalgam’.
He referenced the terrorist attack that happened in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, on April 22, 2025, where 26 tourists were killed. By linking a request to sing a Kannada song to a terrorist act, Sonu Nigam insulted the Kannadiga community and equated their cultural pride and linguistic identity with violence and intolerance,” the complaint stated.
When contracted, the Avalahalli police said that a petition was given on Friday and they have sought legal opinion in this regard and no FIR has been registered.