'Human error': Assam Minister on state film awards goof up involving singer Nahid Afrin

GUWAHATI: As a controversy erupted over an artist being presented with the best playback singer in the state film awards recently purportedly for a song she had not lent her voice to, Assam Cultural Affairs Minister Bimal Borah on Wednesday claimed that the award was given to the correct singer.

He maintained that the name of the song for which the award was given was "wrongly" written in the certificate, seeking to downplay it as a "human error".

Nahid Afrin was given the best playback singer (female) award at the 8th Assam State Film Awards on Monday for the film 'Nijaanor Gaan'.

Afrin, who had sung one of the songs in the film, had received the award from the State Legislative Assembly Speaker Biswajit Daimary at a ceremony here.

However, the controversy started when it was displayed on screen at the ceremony, as she received the felicitation, that the award was for a song which was not sung by Afrin.

Claiming that it was a "human error", Borah said, "The Award was meant for Nahid Afrin. There is no confusion over it. The lyrics of the song were wrongly mentioned in the citation displayed. It was a human error," he said.

Borah said the makers of the film have to mention details while applying for any award and it was not mentioned in the application the song for which Afrin's name was recommended. "Since Afrin had sung a song in that same film, our jury decided to give her the award," the minister said.

When the confusion was brought to light on Tuesday, Afrin, in a social media post, maintained that she was not aware that the lyrics of another song were displayed as she was receiving the award.

"The details were displayed behind me. It is not possible for any awardee to read what is being written behind them as we are concentrating on the audience in front of us. If the jury says the award was actually meant for the singer of the other song, I will happily return it," Afrin who had shot to fame by winning the junior segment of a television singing reality show added.

Afrin maintained that she was informed by a jury member over phone that she had won the award soon after the names were made official and she had also received a list circulated through WhatsApp which had her name as the winner, along with the film's name but with no mention of the song.