Canadian singer Shubh's Still Rollin India Tour cancelled after severe backlash
After facing extreme criticism and a social-media boycott from many people in India, Canadian singer Shubh, AKA Shubhneet Singh's concerts in India have been cancelled. The 24-year-old singer had posted a distorted map of India months ago, which led to the backlash against him, in the light of India and Canada's diplomatic tussle.
Ticket booking platform BookMyShow announced on X that Shubh's Still Rollin tour has been cancelled.
What happened
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…
— BookMyShow (@bookmyshow) September 20, 2023
- BookMyShow, the online ticketing platform, was handling Subh's Still Rollin India tour - a three-month-long tour that was supposed to start on September 23, in Bengaluru.
- This comes hours after #BoycottBookMyShow began trending on Twitter.
- Yesterday (September 19), headphone major boAt also withdrew its sponsorship from the tour of Shubh.
Why is Shubh in the dock?
Canadian-Punjabi singer Shubh, a viral sensation, is known for his songs Elevated, OG, and Cheques and his latest, Still Rollin (for which he was doing the tour).
However, he recently found himself in the middle of a controversy for a distorted map that he shared months ago on his Instagram.
Here's what happened: When Punjab Police were hunting for Khalistani separatist Amritpal Singh, Shubh shared a distorted map of India, omitting Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, and all of Northeast India.
- His old post was recently shared by a lot of people on X (formerly Twitter), and it followed a lot of hate for the map that he shared.
“He is Subh, a pro-Khalistani singer who is from Punjab but currently living in Canada. He recently posted a map of India that clearly depicts Punjab as a separate entity, not a part of India. Surprisingly, he is now planning to perform in India.#WomenReservationBill pic.twitter.com/bWb6caMxK3
— Dr.Mayank ⚕️(UR) (@iamdocmayank) September 18, 2023
I would ask my fellow Indians to boycott the shows of this Khalistani (Subhneet Singh). No good for the country and their presence in foreign countries often leads to mishaps and a misconception towards Indians by the natives.
— Arijit Kumar Khanra (@im_Ark167) September 17, 2023
Jai hind🇮🇳#subh pic.twitter.com/dmxpmIMvrK
- Apart from Twitter, several members of BJYM (Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha) also tore down Shubh’s posters for the concert in Mumbai.
- His concert was supposed to take place in Mumbai on September 24 as part of the Cruise Control 4.0 event, organized aboard the Cordelia Cruise. This event, taking place in Mumbai, was in collaboration with Sunburn Festival and organized by Team Innovation in Mumbai.
- Btw, this entire event was a part of Shubh's Still Rollin India Tour.
- BJYM also submitted a memorandum to the Commissioner of Police in Mumbai, demanding strict action against the singer and the cancellation of all his performances.
- In the midst of the controversy, cricketers Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya also unfollowed the singer on Instagram.
But here's the thing: Even though BookMyShow has officially announced that the show is cancelled, Sunburn's social media handle still has a reel that says that Shubh will be performing at the Cruise Control 4.0 event.
India-Canada's diplomatic relations at all-time low
Shubh's backlash coincides with a period of strained India-Canada diplomatic ties. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau recently accused New Delhi of being involved in the death of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, which India denied. On Tuesday, Canada also expelled an Indian diplomat, to which India responded by expelling another senior Canadian diplomat adding to the tensions.
On Wednesday, the Ministry of External Affairs also put out a strongly-worded travel advisory for all Indians.
Advisory for Indian Nationals and Indian Students in Canada:https://t.co/zboZDH83iw pic.twitter.com/7YjzKbZBIK
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) September 20, 2023