No Takers For Papon: Is Assam Shunning Its Bihu Favourite?

Video Editor: Prashant Chauhan

In February 2018, a video of Papon went viral on social media where the singer was seen kissing a minor girl. This happened on the sets of a television reality show where the minor was a contestant and Papon was her mentor. A case was filed against him under the POCSO Act by a Supreme Court lawyer, Runa Bhuyan, who mentioned in the complaint that it was a ‘sexual assault’.

The singer apologised through a Facebook post and said that he was just showing affection to an eleven-year-old child he was mentoring in the show. He further elaborated, “I am very painfully conscious of the accusations that have been made against me in the last few days. Anyone who knows me would be aware that I am an extremely affectionate and expressive person. That is the way I have been brought up and that’s how I have always been with people close to me or people I care about.”

Even after the apology, Papon’s image has taken a beating. His fan-following has gone down not only in Assam but all over India. People of Assam have varied opinions on the incident. Some feel that it was wrongly portrayed by the media and he should be given another chance; on the other hand fans are disappointed and are in no mood to forgive him.

Nobody shows love to a child that way. I don’t mind saying that I hate Papon for that incident. 

Thuriya Sakia, student

This Rongali Bihu none of the Bihu committees have approached him for performing in Assam. The committee heads say that they had a ‘limited budget’ and couldn’t afford Papon. However, this was not the case two years back, when Papon’s performance was almost mandatory. On being asked if they were boycotting him this Bihu season, the answer was a prompt no.

For past two years, first demonetisation and then GST, it was very difficult for us to collect the money and to get the donations. So we have limited resources. We cannot afford to get Papon in our budget. 

Debpriya Mishra, General Secretary, Pub Guwahati Bihu Samiti

I think I haven’t heard anything about the boycott. We are not boycotting him. We need to separate the law from an artiste. The law can take its own course and the artist can continue performing. 

Kalyas Sarma, President, Guwahati Bihu Sanmiloni

People from Papon’s team are out defending him. They say it’s nothing new that Papon is not performing in Bihu.

Papon’s manager mentioned that he had not perform in 2017 as well, due to prior commitments.

The fact remains that Bihu is the most lucrative season for Assamese singers like Papon. They perform non-stop every night for almost a fortnight. Papon has been headlining these shows for years now. And this year it’s not just his reputation that has taken a beating, his earnings will also see a drastic slump.

Video Input: Anjana Dutta