NEW DELHI: Sonu Nigam has been booked by Bengaluru Police after allegedly making a controversial remark during a recent concert, which some interpreted as offensive to Kannadigas. The FIR was registered at Avalahalli Police Station on Saturday, following a complaint by Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) president Dharmaraj Ananthayya.
In the complaint, Ananthayya accused Nigam of insulting the Kannada-speaking community and linking their cultural pride to terrorism. The controversy arose from an incident during Nigam’s performance at a college in Bengaluru on April 25, where he paused mid-show in response to an audience member repeatedly shouting “Kannada, Kannada.” Nigam reportedly said, “Kannada. Kannada. This is the reason behind the incident in Pahalgam.”

The remark, which went viral on social media, sparked backlash and prompted the FIR under charges of hurting regional sentiments. However, Nigam, 51, took to Instagram on Saturday to clarify his stance and urged people not to generalise the entire community based on the actions of a few.
“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.” Nigam said in his video.
He added, “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.”
Eyewitnesses and concertgoers have since weighed in online, with some supporting Nigam’s version of events and others condemning his response. In the viral footage, Nigam is also seen defending his longstanding association with the Kannada music industry, saying some of his best work has been in Kannada and that Karnataka has always felt like home.
The police are currently reviewing video footage and witness accounts as part of their investigation.