Canada-based Punjabi singer Shubhneet Singh, popularly known as Shubh, has found himself in the middle of a controversy after a video went viral on social media platforms accusing him of "glorifying the death of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi". Shubh was performing at a show in London, United Kingdom.
What is the controversy about?: Right-wing X (formerly Twitter) users have shared a video of Shubh which shows him lifting up a hoodie and displaying it to the audience. The users have claimed that the hoodie showed the date of Gandhi's assassination and pictures of her killers.
The video was also shared by an Instagram handle named 'akaal.clothing'. The post carried other visuals, including images of the hoodie which showed a clear illustration of Gandhi's assassination and the map of Punjab.
Kangana Ranaut calls out the rapper: Sharing the video, the actor criticised Shubh on her official X handle. Ranaut said. "Celebrating the cowardly killing of an old woman by those who she appointed as her saviours."
Ranaut further said there is nothing to glorify as one must be ashamed for such an attack on an elderly lady, who was unaware and disarmed.
Shubh's clarification: The rapper said that a lot of clothes, phones, and jewellery were being thrown at him by the audience and he did not check everything to see what was on them.
He criticised those calling him out and said, "No matter what I do, some people will find something to bring it against me."
Further, the rapper shared a clip on his Instagram story showing people throwing different things at him to support his argument. The video was accompanied with texts that said, "Stop spreading negativity".
While several social media users have actively criticised and called for a ban on Shubh in India, others have jumped to his defence and shared "supporting evidence" that the rapper did not notice the illustration on the hoodie.
Video of the instance from different angles: There are other videos available on YouTube and other social media platforms which shows Shubh picking up the hoodie.
While the rapper can be seen looking at the hoodie and then displaying it to the public in the video, it does not clearly show if the hoodie carried the alleged illustration glorifying Gandhi's assassination.
We were also not able to find a video what the singer said while picking up the hoodie.
Shubh's tryst with controversy: Previously, the rapper's India tour was cancelled following backlash over a post when he shared a distorted map of India on Instagram showing parts of north-east India and Jammu and Kashmir covered with a shadow.
His tour was cancelled by BookMyShow on 20 September after the platform faced boycott calls. Shubh responded to the cancellation of the tour by saying he was extremely "disheartened."
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)