Canada-based Punjabi singer Shubh’s India tour cancelled amid Khalistan row

Canada-based Punjabi singer Shubhneet Singh aka Shubh’s India tour has been cancelled. BookMyShow made the announcement after the ticket booking app faced social media backlash for hosting a singer who is an alleged Khalistan sympathiser.

Shubh was scheduled to perform in 9 Indian cities -- Delhi NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, and Pune among others. He was to perform in India as part of the Still Rollin India Tour between September 23 to November 5. 

BookMyShow took to its social media handle to inform, "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."

Earlier in the day, a #UninstallBookMyShow was trending on X with some calling Shubh, as the singer is popularly known as, a 'Khalistani' and supporter of separatist leaders.

3 things you need to know

• Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) recently claimed that Canadian singer Shubh claimed that 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) submitted a memorandum to the Commissioner of Police in Mumbai seeking strict action against the rapper-singer and demanded cancellation of his India tour.

Shubh’s tour cancelled amid India-Canada diplomatic row 

The move comes amid a diplomatic row between India and Canada that saw each expelling a senior diplomat. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged New Delhi's hand in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, in British Columbia in June this year. India quickly dismissed Canada's assertion as absurd.

The row has worsened the already poor relations between the two countries and thrown cold water on trade talks, which have been paused.

Why is Shubh's concerts in India cancelled?

Amid the India-Canada diplomatic row, Shubh landed himself in a controversy as BJYM claimed that the singer had in March shared a distorted map of India omitting Jammu&Kashmir and Punjab on his social media handle. He had shared the controversial post at a time when the Punjab police were hunting for Amritpal Singh, a supporter of the Khalistani movement. 

Now, days ahead of his concerts in India, members of BJYM submitted a memorandum to the Commissioner of Police in Mumbai seeking strict action against him and cancellation of all his upcoming performances in India. 

What is the India-Canada diplomatic row? 

Canada and India recently expelled a senior diplomat each after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged the involvement of "agents of the Indian government" in the killing of a prominent Sikh separatist leader in Surrery in June, according to PTI.

The Ministry of External Affairs reacted to the allegations and issued a statement, currently available on the official website, saying, "We have seen and rejected the statement of the Canadian Prime Minister in their Parliament, as also the statement by their Foreign Minister. Allegations of the Government of India's involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated. Similar allegations were made by the Canadian Prime Minister to our Prime Minister, and were completely rejected. We are a democratic polity with a strong commitment to rule of law."

It further reads, "Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The inaction of the Canadian Government on this matter has been a long-standing and continuing concern.That Canadian political figures have openly expressed sympathy for such elements remains a matter of deep concern.The space given in Canada to a range of illegal activities including murders, human trafficking and organised crime is not new. We reject any attempts to connect Government of India to such developments. We urge the Government of Canada to take prompt and effective legal action against all anti-India elements operating from their soil."

(With inputs from PTI)