New Delhi: Amid strained diplomatic ties between Canada and India, BookMyShow cancelled Canadian Punjabi singer Shubneet Singh’s India tour after the booking platform faced boycott calls on social media for allegedly hosting a Khalistani sympathiser.
“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 source account of the original transaction,” the platform posed on X (formerly, Twitter).
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
The decision to cancel singer Shubh’s India tour was preceded by social media posts calling for the boycott of the booking app. #UninstallBookMyShow trended on X.
Shubh, as he is popularly known, is an upcoming Punjabi rapper, who rose to fame due to the large number of streams on Instagram reels of his song ‘Still Rollin’. He came out with his first breakout single ‘We Rollin’ in 2021. Until recently, it has reached more than 201 million views on YouTube. He also released his first album ‘Still Rollin’ recently, rediff.com reported.
In his now-cancelled first-ever tour to India, he was to do shows in 10 Indian cities and on a cruise this year. BookMyShow was a sponsor of his Indian tour.
In a statement on Instagram on September 21, Shubh said he was “deeply disheartened” that his Indian shows were cancelled. “I was highly amped up and enthusiastic in my country, in front of my people,” he said.
“India is MY country too,” he continued. “I was born here. It is the land of my GURUS and my ANCESTORS, who didn’t even blink an eye to make sacrifices for the freedom of this land, for its glory, and for the family. And Punjab is my soul, Punjab is in my blood. Whatever I am today, I am because of being a Punjabi.”
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Diplomatic relations between India and Canada nosedived after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged India’s role in the assassination of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar (45), who is a separatist Khalistani movement leader. Nijjar was killed by unidentified assailants on June 19 this year in Vancouver, British Columbia. Trudeau claimed that his country’s security agencies had “credible” intelligence that the Indian government was behind the murder. The Indian government has rejected the allegation.
Note: This article was originally published on September 20, 2023 and was republished on September 22, 2023 with Shubh’s response.