Canada-based Punjabi singer Shubh is embroiled in controversy due to his alleged support for Khalistan. The controversy began when Shubh shared a distorted map of India on his Instagram story in January, which notably excluded the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and the Northeastern states.
Accompanying the image, the singer wrote "Pray for Punjab," which triggered a significant backlash on social media. Subsequently, the singer removed the map and replaced it with a message that solely read "Pray for Punjab" without any accompanying picture.
The situation escalated on September 19, when a renowned electronics brand, withdrew its sponsorship from an upcoming India tour featuring the singer. The following day, on September 20, another ticket-booking app brand cancelled Shubh's tour following a social media call to boycott the brand.
Who Is Shubh?
His actual name is Shubhneet Singh, but for his on-stage appearances, he goes by Shubh. In September 2021, Shubh released his debut song titled We Rolling, which quickly gained immense popularity, amassing over 207 million views on YouTube to date. However, Shubh's real breakthrough came with tracks like Elevated, OG, and Cheques.
Notably, Shubh has a significant following on Instagram, including prominent Bollywood figures such as Ranveer Singh, Rhea Kapoor, and Sanya Malhotra.
The Controversy
The controversy began when Shubh shared a distorted map of India on his Instagram story in January, which notably excluded the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and the Northeastern states. Accompanying the image, the singer wrote "Pray for Punjab," which triggered a significant backlash on social media. Subsequently, the singer removed the map and replaced it with a message that solely read "Pray for Punjab" without any accompanying picture.
As a result on September 19, when BoAt, an electronics brand, withdrew its sponsorship from an upcoming India tour featuring the singer. The following day, on September 20, BookMyShow cancelled Shubh's tour following a social media call to boycott the ticket-booking app.
Other Artists React
On September 21, Shubh expressed his disappointment regarding the cancellation of his India tour through an Instagram post. He shared a three-slide message, clarifying that his intention in reposting a particular post on his story was solely to express concern for Punjab, where there were reports of electricity and internet shutdowns. He emphasised that there was no ulterior motive behind it and certainly no intention to hurt anyone's feelings. Check the post here.
Following the controversy, AP Dhillon conveyed a message emphasising the importance of "promoting love instead of hate." Furthermore, rapper Dino James initially showed support forย Shubh. However, he issued an apology shortly afterwards. Dino had taken to his Instagram stories and expressed his sadness regarding the cancellation of Shubh's concert in India, considering it "unfortunate." However, he later apologised, acknowledging that he wasn't aware of the complete controversy surrounding the situation.
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