Navjot Singh Sidhu, after his comments on the Pulwama terror attack, has been asked by the channel, Sony TV, to leave The Kapil Sharma Show. He is likely to be replaced by Archana Puran Singh. Following the car bomb attack on a CRPF convoy in Pulwama, Kashmir, which claimed the lives of 44 jawans, Sidhu had said that nations cannot be held accountable for terrorist activities. With Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed claiming responsibility for the attack, the statement rubbed many the wrong way. Indian leaders have already lambasted Pakistan for its continued support to terror outfits and are planning diplomatic action against the neighbouring nation.
"His remarks have not been taken kindly by most. Also, the channel and the show was getting dragged into the unwanted controversy. This is when the team amicably decided that Navjot make a distance from the show. The team has already shot a couple of episodes with Archana," reported Indian Express.
Earlier, Navjot Singh Sidhu had stated, "Nations cannot be held responsible for the dastardly acts of terrorists. The terrorists do not have deen, mazhab (sect and religion). There are good, the bad and the ugly. Every institution has them. Every nation has them. The ugly need to be punished. But individuals cannot be blamed for the dastardly act."
Sidhu's statements have been received with harsh criticism and since then Twitter along with other social media platforms has been flooded with posts demanding his removal from The Kapil Sharma Show. Interestingly, in the morning, the top three Twitter trends were #BoycottSidhu, #BoycottKapilSharmaShow and #BoycottSonyTV respectively.
However, this is not the first incident in which Sony TV has taken a stand. Previously, when Anu Malik's name was raised in the MeToo movement, he was sacked from his role of a judge from the tenth season of Indian Idol.
Over 40 CRPF jawans were martyred in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama terror attack on 14th February 2019.
(Edited by Vivek Dubey)