Sonu Nigam shaves off his head, insists that he is not anti-Muslim

executive@coastaldigest.com (Agencies)
April 19, 2017

Mumbai, Apr 19: Sonu Nigam, who created a storm with his tweets on the use of loudspeakers in morning prayers at mosques, addressed the media at his house to clear his stand over the issue. The singer also invited celebrity hairstylist Aalim Hakim to cut his hair, in response to a West Bengal cleric's fatwa offering Rs 10 lakhs to shave off Sonu's head.

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The ace singer started off by saying that he didn't expect such a simple thing to become such a big topic of discussion. "I have considered Mohammed Rafi as my guru. My driver is a Muslim. I am not anti-Muslim, I consider myself secular," he said on him being labelled as anti-Muslim.

Sonu urged that "we need to be considerate with each other". He clarified that he's talking on the issue under a social context, and not a religious context.

On being asked why he was shaving his head, Sonu said, "It's not an agitation, not a challenge that I am throwing someone's way. I am shaving my head just to show that the person cutting my hair is a Muslim. It's all about interpreting things the right way. I exhort the media to present it like that and not in a confrontational way."

When analogies were drawn with his concerts using loudspeakers, the singer rebuked by saying that he sings only within the permissible time limits. Sonu also stated that "being secular doesn't mean we accept everything". Congress leader Ahmed Patel echoed Sonu's sentiments over the use of loudspeakers for Azaans in mosques. Sonu ended the interaction by quoting Ahmed Patel's remarks, "Azaan zaruri hai, loudspeaker nahi".

The singer then proceeded to have his head shaved at the hands of Aalim. Sonu emerged minutes later with a shaved head.

On Monday, Nigam blew up a controversy when he lashed out as "forced religiousness" in India after being woken up by the sound of the morning Aazaan from a mosque presumably near his home. "I don't believe in any temple or gurudwara using electricity to wake up people who don't follow the religion. Why then..? Honest? True? Gundagardi hai bus."

He went on to tag Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to look into the matter.

"Dear Devendra Fadnavis please note and help us force police to act against illegal blaring of Azaan and other such activities," he added.

He was trolled by Twitteratti and organizations with protests and some planning to move court against him.

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News Network
May 15,2025

Udupi, May 15: A routine surgery turned tragic at a private hospital in Udupi’s Karkala on Wednesday evening when a 54-year-old woman died during a procedure to remove a suspected abdominal lump. 

The incident triggered immediate outrage from the deceased’s family, leading to a protest outside the hospital premises.

The deceased has been identified as Zubaida, a resident of Sanur, who had been living in a rented house near the hospital. She was admitted after complaining of severe abdominal pain, and doctors advised surgical intervention to remove a lump believed to be the cause of her discomfort.

However, Zubaida reportedly passed away mid-surgery, sparking anger and grief among her relatives and local residents. A crowd soon gathered outside the hospital, demanding an explanation from the medical staff and questioning the circumstances surrounding her death.

As tensions rose, police personnel from the Karkala Town Station were called in to pacify the situation and prevent further escalation. Authorities managed to restore calm and are reportedly investigating the incident.

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coastaldigest.com news network
April 30,2025

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Mangaluru, April 30: The Netravati bridge at Jeppinamogaru, which had been closed for repair works since March 19, is set to reopen for vehicular traffic from May 2, police commissioner Anupam Agrawal announced.

Officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) confirmed that the bridge repairs are now complete. A new bearing has been installed in one of the bridge’s pillars, and all necessary structural maintenance has been carried out. Currently, the concrete curing process is in its final stages and is expected to conclude within the next two days, paving the way for the bridge to reopen as scheduled.

The closure of the old Netravati bridge had led to severe daily traffic congestion, as vehicles were diverted to the newly constructed parallel bridge on National Highway 66, where two-way traffic was temporarily permitted. Traffic jams were especially intense during peak morning and evening hours, causing vehicle queues that often stretched from Pumpwell and Kallapu to the Thokkottu flyover. Even emergency vehicles faced difficulties navigating through the gridlock.

To manage the situation, light vehicles heading towards Deralakatte and Konaje — or traveling towards Mangaluru from these areas — were diverted via the Harekala-Pavoor bridge. However, this alternate route also witnessed significant congestion during rush hours. As a result, many commuters, especially those traveling from Thokkottu, Talapady, and Kerala, were forced to start their journeys at least an hour earlier than usual.

The public had been urging authorities to expedite the repair works to ease traffic woes. With the bridge now ready to reopen, commuters can expect a significant improvement in traffic flow along the busy corridor from May 2 onward.

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News Network
May 8,2025

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Belagavi: Colonel Sofia Qureshi who along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh presented the details of ‘Operation Sindoor’ is being hailed as the daughter-in-law of Karnataka’s Belagavi.

Qureshi's husband Colonel Tajuddin Bagewadi is from Konnur town in Gokak taluk. He has been serving as a colonel in the Indian Army. They were married in 2015.

Qureshi is a native of Baroda in Gujarat, being married to Tajuddin has made her the daughter-in-law of Belagavi.

During a media meet at New Delhi on Wednesday, Qureshi had shared the details of the success of Operation Sindoor which was conducted in retaliation to the terror attack at Pahalgam in Kashmir.

Qureshi has also served in the UN peacekeeping force at Kangola. She has received great appreciation from General Officer Commanding for her work along the borders of Punjab and during the floods in North-East.

Presently Sofia has been posted at Jammu while her husband Colonel Tajuddin Bagewadi at Jhanshi.

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