Sonu Nigam was pushed and his two colleagues manhandled allegedly by the son of an MLA during a scuffle over taking a selfie with the singer at a musical event in Mumbai, police said on Tuesday. A colleague of Nigam was injured in the incident which took place at Chembur Gymkhana on Monday night after the singer's live performance, an official said. A video of the incident later surfaced on social media platforms.
Based on a complaint filed by Sonu Nigam, the Chembur police registered an FIR against Swapnil Phaterpekar, the son of local Shiv Sena MLA Prakash Phaterpekar, under Indian Penal Code Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), the official said.
According to Nigam's complaint, he and his colleagues were leaving the stage after the performance when a man, later identified as Swapnil Phaterpekar, came from the back and caught hold of the singer. The accused apparently wanted to take a selfie with the singer.
As per the complaint, Nigam's colleague Hari Prakash tried to stop the accused and took him aside. However, the accused allegedly manhandled Prakash due to which he fell down from the stage, the official said quoting the complaint. The accused then pushed Sonu Nigam due to which he also fell on the stairs, as per the complaint.
When Sonu Nigam's other colleague Rabbani Khan came forward to help him, the accused allegedly manhandled him also. Khan, too, fell down, said the complaint.
The support staff present near the stage then came forward and stopped the accused, an official from Chembur police station said. Khan, who received injuries, was taken to a private hospital in Chembur. Nigam went to the Chembur police station in the early hours of Tuesday, recorded his statement and filed a complaint against the accused, the official said, adding a probe was underway into the case.
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Suprada Phaterpekar issues statement
The accused, Swapnil Phaterpekar, turned out to be the son of a noted local MLA, and his sister Suprada Phaterpekar, who is a member of Shiv Sena, has now issued an apology to the singer.
Suprada took to her Twitter handle and wrote, "As organiser of the Chembur festival, I wish to shed light on some facts about the unfortunate incident that occurred at the end of Chembur Festival 2023. While Shri Sonu Nigam was being hurriedly ushered off the stage after delivering his performance, my brother was trying to take a selfie with him. Due to the rush & furore, there was a commotion that ensued."
"The person who fell was taken to Zen hospital & was discharged after examination," she added. She further said, Sonu Nigam is unhurt. "Shri Sonu Nigam is unhurt. On behalf of the organisation team, we have officially apologised to Sonu sir & his team for the unpleasant incident. Please do not believe any baseless rumours and those who are trying to politicize the matter."
(With PTI inputs)
