Complaint registered against Gurdas Maan by Puja committee
Kolkata: A complaint has been registered against veteran Punjabi singer Gurdas Maan for alleged breach of contract by not performing at a Durga Puja pandal in South Kolkata.
According to the 22 Pally Durga Puja committee, Maan was invited to perform at the pandal based on the theme of Amritsar's Golden Temple on October 6.
"The veteran singer landed at Kolkata airport for the performance. At the airport, a group of people of the Sikh community urged him not to perform, mentioning that the people thronged the pandal, which was set up on the theme of Amritsar's Golden Temple, bare headed and even wore shoes. A group of people urged that it is an insult to the Sikh community," said Goutam Kumar Bose, a representative of 22 Pally Durga Puja Committee.
He reiterated that the Durga Puja committee had briefed the singer well in advance about the theme of the pandal.
"The mandap is just a replica of Amritsar's Golden Temple. There is no Guru Granth Sahib, the holy book of the Sikh. It is a collection of hymns of the first five "Sikh Gurus", the "Ninth Guru", and various saints, or bhagats and others such as Baba Farid. If Guru Granth Sahib would have been present at the pandal then walking barefoot and wearing cap or turban would have been made compulsory for the pandal-hoppers."
He further added: "The singer gave his consent to perform. We made proper arrangements. Even after compliance of all the terms and conditions, including monetary transaction, the artist was not present without any intimation to us."
The singer was quoted saying by a news channel that the visitors thronged the pandal which was set up on the theme of Amritsar's Golden Temple, bareheaded and wearing shoes, thus hurting sentiments of the Sikh community.