Sonu Nigam apologises over Kannada remark; KRV ends protest

Singer Sonu Nigam has apologised to people in Karnataka for a remark comparing demands for Kannada songs with the Pahalgam terror attack, prompting Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) to announce that it would end its protest. According to India Today, KRV state president TA Narayana Gowda shared the apology video on X on October 19, 2026, after speaking with the singer.

The move comes ahead of Nigam’s scheduled concert at Bengaluru’s Bharatiya Mall on October 24. Gowda had written to the Bengaluru police commissioner asking that permission for the event be withheld, alleging that the singer had insulted Kannadigas.

Apology follows conversation with KRV chief

In the video, Nigam described people in Karnataka as his family and said he wanted to preserve a relationship built over three decades. He spoke warmly of his conversation with Gowda and expressed regret for any hurt his words had caused, while maintaining that he, God and those present at the original performance knew his position.

Gowda characterised the apology as unconditional and said Nigam had recognised the hurt caused to Kannadigas. The singer’s own wording framed his apology around anything he might inadvertently have said that had hurt listeners.

The KRV leader said the organisation had no personal hostility towards Nigam and that its protest concerned the remark. He expressed hope that the singer would perform in Karnataka and record more Kannada songs.

Gowda also pointed to the affection Kannada audiences held for singers from outside the community, naming Ghantasala, PB Srinivas, Yesudas, S Janaki, Vani Jairam and KS Chithra for their contributions to Kannada film music.

The dispute began at a Bengaluru performance

The controversy dates to April 2025, when Nigam was performing at East Point Engineering College in Bengaluru. After some audience members repeatedly requested a Kannada song, he made the comparison with the Pahalgam terror attack. Kannadigas and pro-Kannada organisations criticised the remark as an insult to their language and sentiments.

KRV subsequently filed a complaint at Avalahalli police station, and an FIR was registered against the singer. The registration of an FIR does not establish guilt.

In an earlier video explaining the incident, Nigam alleged that a few young men had behaved aggressively and appeared to threaten him while demanding a Kannada song. He maintained that his remark targeted their conduct, not Kannadigas collectively. That description of the audience members’ behaviour was his account, rather than an independently established finding.

The dispute resurfaced before the October 24 concert. KRV’s decision to withdraw its protest addresses that opposition; it does not, by itself, establish the status of the police case or whether authorities have granted concert permission.