After BookMyShow cancels Shubh's India tour, Moj takes down songs by Canada-based singer

Canada-based Punjabi singer Shubhneet Singh aka Shubh's songs have been removed from Moj, a short video-sharing platform owned by ShareChat. This action comes in response to the singer's earlier controversial social media post in which he shared a distorted map of India omitting Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir. On Wednesday (September 20), BookMyShow cancelled Shubh's India tour after the ticket-booking app faced a boycott call on social media for hosting a singer who is allegedly a Khalistani sympathiser. BookMyShow was a sponsor of the Indian tour.

3 things you need to know

• Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) recently claimed that Canadian singer Shubh is a Khalistan sympathiser.
• In March, Shubh posted a distorted map of India on social media, the BJYM claimed. 
• The youth wing of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had submitted a memorandum to the Commissioner of Police in Mumbai seeking strict action against the rapper-singer and demanded cancellation of his India tour.

'No place for artist propagating divisive content'

Moj recently removed Shubh's songs from its in-app music library and took to its social media handles to express its dedication to nurturing a positive creator community. The note read: "Moj is a brand deeply committed to fostering a vibrant creator community. In alignment with our values, any artist propagating divisive content has no home on our platform. With this in mind, we have taken down the songs by artist Shubh from our in-app music library. We are dedicated to providing our community with joyful moments that reflect our world." 

Cancellation of Shubh's India Tour and sponsorship withdrawal

Prior to Moj's action, BookMyShow, an online booking platform, had cancelled Shubhneet Singh's three-month-long tour in India. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), BookMyShow said it will do a complete refund of the tickets within 7-10 days.

"Singer Shubhneet Singh's Still Rollin Tour for India stands cancelled. To that end, BookMyShow has initiated a complete refund of the ticket amount for all consumers who had purchased tickets for the show. The refund will be reflected within 7-10 working days in the customer's source account of the original transaction," it said.

Earlier, electronics brand boAt had withdrawn its sponsorship from the singer's India tour. The company stated that despite its deep commitment to the music community, it prioritises being a true Indian brand. "At boAt, while our commitment to the incredible music community runs deep, we are first & foremost a true Indian brand. Therefore, when we became aware of the remarks made by artist Shubh earlier this year, we chose to withdraw our sponsorship from the tour," the company's statement read.

What is the controversy surrounding Shubh?

In March, Shubh shared a distorted map of India on his Instagram story, omitting Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab. Alongside the photo, he wrote "Pray for Punjab," allegedly lending his support to the Khalistani movement which is banned in India.

Days ahead of his India tour (which now stands cancelled), the singer's controversial post resurfaced online, evoking strong reactions on social media with netizens demanding the cancellation of his India tour. Earlier, BJYM had also demanded strict action and cancellation of Shubh's India tour.  

Shubh is an upcoming Punjabi rapper who rose to fame due to the large number of streams on Instagram reels of his song 'Still Rollin'. He released his first breakout single 'We Rollin' in 2021 and as of 2023, it has reached more than 201 million views on YouTube. He recently released his debut album 'Still Rollin'.

(Inputs from PTI)