Amid Daler Mehndi row, Punjabi singer Maninder Buttar denies Subodh Uniyal’s ‘beaten up’ claim
New Delhi: Amid the Daler Mehendi controversy, Punjabi singer Maninder Buttar has refuted Uttarakhand minister claims that he was beaten up during a performance in the state in 2019. The singer has asked the minister to release the complete, unedited recording of the show so that people can see what actually happened.
Maninder’s response comes days after Uniyal accused singer of being intoxicated during a performance at the Siddhpeeth Maa Kunjapuri Tourism and Development Fair in New Tehri. During the confrontation, the minister cited Maninder’s earlier performance as an example, claiming that the singer had been beaten up after allegedly performing under the influence of alcohol.
Maninder Buttar recalls 2019 Uttarakhand performance
Reacting to the remarks, Maninder took to Instagram Live on Monday and expressed shock over the allegations. He recalled that his 2019 performance had gone well and said the minister himself had come on stage to honour him.
Recalling the event, Maninder said he had performed for around one-and-a-half hours. He also remembered receiving a traditional Pahadi cap from the minister during the show. “I performed for 1.5 hours, and an honourable minister came to the stage, gave me a Pahadi cap, and I performed the rest of the show in that cap,” the singer said.
He added that he had been told it was the first time a young artist was performing at the event, which had drawn an audience of around 6,000 to 7,000 people. Maninder further said he was unable to understand why the minister had claimed that he was beaten up during the performance. He urged Uniyal to make the full recording public, saying that viewers should be able to judge the incident for themselves.
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“I want the truth to come out. I respectfully request the Hon’ble Minister to upload the complete recording of that show so that everyone can see what actually happened and judge for themselves if I did anything wrong,” he said.
The singer also maintained that he had never performed under the influence of alcohol or any intoxicating substance. He said he had performed across Himachal Pradesh and other parts of India without engaging in misconduct.
Maninder says remarks about his family left him shocked
The Punjabi singer also expressed disappointment over the minister’s remarks, particularly those involving his father. He said he had always tried to keep his family away from controversies and was surprised to hear such allegations being made publicly.
“Such words don’t look nice from you. I am a very simple person. I was genuinely shocked when I came to know that such things had been said about me and my father, that too on camera,” Maninder said.
He reiterated his request for the complete, unedited footage of the 2019 performance to be released, adding that he wanted the public to understand what had actually happened.
What happened on stage with Daler Mehndi?
The controversy began on October 18, when Uniyal interrupted Daler Mehndi during his performance at the annual Kunjapuri fair in Uttarakhand. The minister questioned whether the singer was performing live or lip-syncing and alleged that he was under the influence of alcohol. The incident was captured in a video that subsequently circulated on social media.
Daler’s brother, singer , later disputed the allegations against him and criticised the way the veteran performer had been confronted on stage. Maninder’s response has now added another dimension to the controversy, with the singer calling for evidence to support the claims made against him.
Written By Uditi Sharma!