Explained: What is the controversy around Canadian-Punjabi rapper Shubh?

Canada-based Punjabi singer and rapper Shubhneet Singh, popularly known by his stage name Shubh, is in the news for all the wrong reasons. The singer who rose to fame with hit songs like Elevated, OG and Cheques, has been facing criticism over his alleged support for Khalistan - an issue that has caused strains in relations between India and Canada in recent weeks. Owing to his social media posts, Shubh has seen many of his celebrity followers unfollowing him on Instagram in the past weeks. Shubh enjoys a considerable fanbase the world over.

Hailing from Punjab and now settled in Canada, Shubh burst onto the scene with his breakout debut single We Rollinin September 2021. His blend of catchy hip-hop and trap beats and fast lyrical flow gained massive popularity in no time and he belted out hit singles No Love, and Baller. He has over a million followers on Instagram and recently released another album Still Rollin, which featured the viral track Cheques.

On September 19, electronics brand boAt retracted its sponsorship of the upcoming India tour of Shubh. The brand's decision to withdraw its sponsorship comes at a time when India and Canada are embroiled in a diplomatic tussle over the death of Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and due to Shubh's controversial posts earlier this year.

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In a statement shared on X, the company said, “At boAt, while our commitment to the incredible music community runs deep, we are first and 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 of the tour.”

What is the controversy around Shubh?

The Canadian-Punjabi singer stirred controversy earlier this year in March when he shared a distorted map of India on his Instagram story, conspicuously omitting the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and the Northeastern states.

He captioned the image as, "Pray for Punjab". The singer was slammed massively on social media for the post. The singer later deleted the map and replaced it with a message that read "Pray for Punjab" without any picture.

Shubh's post came amida police crackdown on self-proclaimed Sikh preacher and ‘Waris Punjab De’ chief Amritpal Singh and his associates. He posted the image after the Punjab government suspended mobile internet services across the state.

Shubh was scheduled to perform in Mumbai, India from September 23-25. He wasalso scheduled to perform in cities such as New Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad. On September 20, ticketing app BookMyShow announced that the singer's India tour had been cancelled.

In response to the singer's upcoming concert, the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), the youth wing of the BJP, removed posters promoting the event, stating that it won't allow the singer to perform as he is a Khalistani supporter. The group has been staging protests in Mumbai for the past few days demanding a ban on Shubh's India concert.

"There is no space for Khalistanis who are the enemy of integrity and unity of India. We won't let Canadian singer Shubh perform on the auspicious land of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, Mumbai...If no proper action is taken then the organisers will have to face revolt," BJYM President Tajinder Singh Tiwana told news agency ANI.

BJYM has also written to the Mumbai police to register an FIR against Shubh “for waging war against the Government of India and posting anti-government posts”.

The memorandum submitted by BJYM to the Mumbai police stated that the intention of the singer was to show that Punjab is not a part of India and to propagate the Khalistani agenda.

“Shubh is openly a Khalistani supporter and if he is allowed to hold a concert here, he will be influencing a lot of youth in Mumbai and our country to support his agenda…He has evidently proven that he is a pro-Khalistani activist and openly supports their agenda and (he) is also influencing the youth of the country to do the same and wage a war against the Government of India by posting such absurd and derogatory posts about the Government of India,” the complaint read.

Since the controversy broke out, Shubh's celebrity followers like Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya have all unfollowed the singer on Instagram.

Controversy around Hardeep Singh Nijjar's death

The controversy around singer Shubh comes when India and Canada are in a diplomatic row over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Relations between the two countries have already been sour and the killing has led to a dramatic new low.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural centre in Surrey, British Columbia. Canada PM Justin Trudeau cited "credible allegations of a potential link" between agents of the Indian government and the assassination of the Khalistani terrorist.

Trudeau's government has been actively collaborating and coordinating with Canada's international allies regarding the Nijjar case, culminating in the expulsion of the Indian diplomat.

India, meanwhile, rejected the Trudeau government's allegation, describing it as "absurd" and "motivated". In response, India expelled a senior Canadian diplomat and gave him 5 days to leave the country.

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