Watch: Sonu Nigam pushed, friend injured at Mumbai event; FIR lodged against MLA’s son
by The Canadian Parvasi
In a ‘selfie-related’ incident that occured at an event in Mumbai’s suburban Chembur, prominent singer Sonu Nigam, alongside two of his colleagues, was allegedly manhandled after a brawl as fans swarmed to take selfie with the famous singer after his performance and the two colleagues intervened.
In relation to the alleged incident, the Mumbai Police booked Swapnil P. Phaterpekar, son of Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Prakash Phaterpekar, under Indian Penal Code Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others) on Tuesday.
A friend of the playback singer was reportedly injured due to the ordeal, supposed visuals of which have since been circulated across social media.
The Indian Singers Rights Association (ISRA) has since condemned the incident, with ISRA CEO Sanjay Tandon expressing, “All singers of the country are in shock and are concerned about this… We request the Maharashtra government and law enforcement agencies to take serious note of the matter and try to ensure that such incidents are not repeated with any singer/artiste whatsoever.”
“After the concert, Nigam was coming down from the stage when a person named Swapnil P. Phaterpekar stopped him for a selfie. When Nigam refused, he pushed the singer and two others from the steps, with one sustaining injury. We have booked only one accused (Swapnil Phaterpekar) for the incident… The other volunteers came to the aid of Nigam who was taken away from there safely,” Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone VI), Hemrajsingh Rajput detailed the incident Tuesday.
The sister of the accused, Swapnil Phaterpekar, stated regarding the incident, “Due to the rush, a commotion ensued. The person who fell was taken to the Zen Hospital and was discharged after examination, Sonu Nigam was unhurt…On behalf of the organising team, we have officially apologised to Sonu Nigam and his team for the unpleasant incident. Please do not believe any baseless rumours and those who are trying to politicise the matter.”