Karnataka Police have issued a notice to singer Sonu Nigam. They asked him to appear for questioning within seven days.
The FIR follows his controversial remark linking a Kannada song request to the Pahalgam terror attack.
The Avalahalli Police in Bengaluru filed the FIR under Sections 351(2), 352, and 352(1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
Dharmaraj A, President of Karnataka Rakshana Vedike’s city unit, filed the complaint.
Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said the police would take appropriate action against the singer.
The Raita Karmika Okkuta filed another police case in Chitradurga city.
Its president, HM Shashidhar, demanded an unconditional apology from Nigam. He warned that activists would blacken Nigam’s face if he visited the state again without apologising.
Kannada groups are also planning a protest when Nigam appears before the police in Bengaluru.
During a show on May 1 at East Point College of Engineering and Technology, a youth asked Nigam to sing a Kannada song.
Nigam paused and said, “I always sing Kannada songs with love. But the way he shouted made me think of the Pahalgam attack.”
His statement triggered widespread outrage. Kannada groups called it offensive and divisive. Many demanded a ban on the singer and sought immediate police action.
The complaint said Nigam’s statement insulted Kannadigas and incited hate between language groups. It accused him of provoking unrest by equating a song request with a terror attack.
The complaint added that Nigam’s words disrupted public harmony and hurt millions of Kannada speakers.
It stated, “The video has gone viral and caused deep distress. The remark painted Kannadigas as intolerant and could spark linguistic unrest.”
Sonu Nigam later released a video defending his comment. He claimed a group of students made threatening demands for a Kannada song.
He said, “People in the audience tried to stop them. I recalled Pahalgam because there, no one asked about language.”
His defence further angered protestors and activists across Karnataka.
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