Sonu Nigam rants about Azaan and forced religiousness, sparks off controversy; check Twitter reactions

Sonu Nigam, who was recently seen as a judge on Indian Idol 9, sparked a fresh controversy on Monday (April 17) morning over a series of tweets that went viral on social media.

The popular playback singer had expressed his anger on being woken up early by Azaan. Sonu pointed out that he was against the use of loudspeakers and forcing religiousness on people.

"God bless everyone. I'm not a Muslim and I have to be woken up by the Azaan in the morning. When will this forced religiousness end in India," read his tweet.

Sonu's tweets didn't go down well with Twitter users, who bashed him for hurting religious sentiments. However, some supported the singer.

Last year, Sonu had landed himself in controversy when he sang on board a flight following request from fellow passengers. The incident resulted in the airline suspending five crew members for letting the 42-year-old use the plane's public announcement system. When the news reached Sonu, he had described the airline's decision to suspend crew members as "real intolerance."

Check out the twitter reactions:

Praful Tickoo‏: Strong words. But I am sure @sonunigam would have heard thousands of azaans before. Why complain suddenly?

Vikram‏: Agree with you Sonu. Kids and old patients are the ones who suffer the most cos of this Stone Age tradition.

Mudit Agarwal‏: Dear Sonu Nigam, Please be ready to be tagged as a Sanghi and communal. People may also call u jobless and useless singer looking for fame.

Farah Khan‏: @sonunigam This is India & every religion has d right 2 follow their beliefs in their ways. Like #Jaagran in Hindus, it's #Azaan in Muslims.