Mumbai: Sonu Nigam accepts maulvi's challenge, shaves off his head

Sonu Nigam on Wednesday hosted a press conference at his residence in Mumbai to talk about Azaan row. The singer shaved off his head, hours after offering to apologise if his controversial tweets were found to be anti-Muslim.

Sonu Nigam said that he never imagined his 'simple statement' would be blown out of proportion. The singer told to the reporters, "Everybody has the right to express their opinion. Same way, I have the right to my opinion. It should not be misconstrued. I am a secular person. It was not about azaan. Loudspeakers are not a necessity at any religious places. And this is my personal opinion."

Earlier on Wednesday, he accepted headlong a challenge by a West Bengal cleric's fatwa offering Rs.10 lakhs to shave off Nigam's head.

He hit back: "Today at 2pm, Aalim will come to my place and shave my head. Keep your 10 lakhs ready Maulvi."

Nigam kept his word and shaved off his head just prior to addressing a media conference at his residence where police had beefed up security after his tweets raked up a huge ruckus.

He appeared before the media with a clean-shaven pate, wearing spectacles and smiling away happily even as various Muslim groups and organisations protested and contemplated moving the courts against him.

He even addressed media and said: "All I wanted was to be considerate with each other like all the big countries in the world. Everyone has right to opinion. My opinion is that in temple masjid, gurudwara, loudspeakers are not religious necessities. It is not part of a religion, going on from years."

"When loudspeakers are installed in religious places, it is sort of a declaration that 'this is my religion'. Same goes for people dancing on roads drunk during religious processions. I am against that.

The playback singer received flak for his "insensitive" remarks on the use of loudspeakers to broadcast sermons and calls to prayers by mosques, temples and gurudwaras.

"I am very secular, I am not right or left wing. I stand in between. Most are right and left wing people but people in the middle are less. I've never had to make a speech like this. I just raised a social topic, not a religious topic," he added.

On Monday, Sonu Nigam created a stir on Twitter, when he expressed his displeasure against mosques blaring Azaan in the morning, calling it 'gundagardi' and 'forced religiousness'.

Following an outpour of supportive and opposing tweets, Sonu Nigam defended his comments in a series of posts on Twitter. He even lashed out at Twitter trolls condemning him.

An old video of Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has gone viral, in which the actress has spoken positively about Azaan. In the video, which was made when Priyanka was filming for 'Gangaajal 2' in Bhopal, the actress said she would listen to the divine Azaan, after packup in the evening, and claimed she finds it very peaceful.

-With agency inputs