Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh has found himself at the centre of a controversy after responding to pro-Khalistani protesters during his Aura 2026 concert in Calgary, Canada and the incident has now sparked reactions on social media and led to fresh tensions between the singer and some pro-Khalistan groups.
The controversy began during Diljit’s concert on Friday when some people in the crowd were seen displaying pro-Khalistani flags and later videos from the event which are now widely circulating online showed Diljit addressing the protesters directly from the stage while reacting to the situation the singer said “Jinne jhande dikhane, dikhai challo” meaning people were free to show whatever flags they wanted.
The audience largely supported Diljit during the moment and cheered loudly when he reportedly said that anyone creating disturbance at the venue should be removed and several videos also showed heated exchanges between concertgoers and protesters outside the venue.
After the concert Gurpatwant Singh Pannun leader of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) released a video warning that the organisation would oppose Diljit’s upcoming shows in the United States and some pro-Khalistan supporters have also called for a boycott of the singer’s concerts and are expected to protest outside future venues.
Amid the growing controversy another video from Diljit’s recent concert surfaced online in which the singer spoke emotionally about facing criticism from both sides and during the performance he said “I’m being abused from both sides, in India people call me Khalistani while here I’m being called ‘India wala’ I don’t understand where I belong but I feel I’m on the right path.”
Diljit’s Aura 2026 World Tour was originally designed to honour the history and struggles of the Punjabi community abroad. During his concerts, the singer has been paying tribute to the victims of the Komagata Maru incident and revolutionaries linked to the Ghadar Movement and at one of his shows Diljit pointed out that the BC Place stadium in Vancouver where he performed before thousands of fans stands close to the same harbour where the Komagata Maru ship was denied entry into Canada in 1914 and the ship was carrying 376 passengers mostly Sikhs from Punjab.
Diljit said the success and presence of the Punjabi community abroad today is connected to the sacrifices made by early migrants and freedom fighters such as Kartar Singh Sarabha and Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna and also said that he talks about Punjab wherever he goes.
