Didn't See What Was On It: Canadian Singer Shubh Clarifies After Row Over 'Indira Gandhi Assassination' Hoodie

Canadian singer Shubh, who was recently under fire for his alleged support for Khalistan, found himself at the center of a new controversy after he was seen on the stage holding up a hoodie with an illustration of Indira Gandhi's assassination on the map of Punjab.

This event took place at a London concert on 29 October. Facing criticism, Shubh claimed the hoodie was hurled at him by someone in the audience, and he did not see what was there.

"A lot of clothes, jewellery and phones were thrown at me by the audience at my first show in London. I was there to perform, not to see what got thrown at me and what is on it," the singer said in a statement, Hindustan Times reported.

"No matter what I do, some people will find something to bring it against me," he added, alluding to the recent backlash in India that led to the cancellation of his tour of the country.

Shubh's India tour was cancelled after uproar on social media over an old post of the singer.

This came amid the India-Canada diplomatic row following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegation that India had a role in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In that post, Shubh shared a distorted map of India without J&K, Punjab and the northeastern states.

The latest video of the London concert where Shubh was seen holding up the hoodie went viral and many social media users claimed he took a look at the artwork of the hoodie before holding it up.

Certain social media users have suggested that the contentious hoodie originated from Akaal Clothing, which seemingly exploited Shubh's concert in London to disseminate an anti-India message.

Bollywood actor, director, and producer Kangana Ranaut criticised Shubh and said it was cowardly to celebrate the "killing of an old woman by those who she appointed as her saviours".

"When you are trusted to protect but you take advantage of the trust and faith and use the same weapons to kill the ones were suppose to protect then it’s a shameful act of cowardice not of bravery. One must be ashamed of such a cowardly attack on an elderly lady who was disarmed and unaware, a lady who was the chosen leader of a democracy, nothing to glorify here Shubham ji," Kangana said in post on X.