In April 2017, singer Sonu Nigam sparked a controversy when he expressed his anger on Twitter on being woken up early by Azaan. He had pointed out that he was against the use of loudspeakers and forcing religiousness on people. His comment didn't go down well with netizens, many religious groups also bashed him for hurting religious sentiments.
It has been several months since the strong tweet, yet, a India Today report said that on Monday, February 5, 2018, the Maharashtra State Intelligence Department issued an advisory of a threat to singer Sonu and two Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLAs, Ram Kadam and Ashish Shelar. The advisory cited that the death threats are by a terrorist outfit operating from Pakistan.
While it is Sonu's controversial comment on Azaan that has landed him in trouble, Shelar and Kadam are firebrand BJP MLAs from Maharashtra.
The report from the intelligence department stated that Sonu can be attacked at any public place, promotional activity or during an event. Following the report, special security has been provided by Mumbai Police to Sonu.
Post Sonu's Azaan comment, Syed Sha Atef Ali Al Quaderi, vice president of West Bengal Minority United Council (WBMUC), had announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for shaving the hair of Sonu and parading him around the country. To this, Sonu had asked Quaderi to keep the reward of Rs 10 lakh ready as he himself shaved off his head.
Even recently, the singer made some rather strong comments on the National Anthem being played in cinema halls. He expressed his dislike with the idea of it being played in theatres or restaurants.
He had also added that "If the national anthem of Pakistan is played and all Pakistanis are standing, I will also stand out of respect for that country and those people. There are some people who are saying the national anthem should be there (in cinema halls), some say it should not be there. The national anthem is a prestigious and sensitive thing and I think it should not be played in certain places, in movie theatres or restaurants," Hindustan Times reported.
