A concert in New Delhi, where Carnatic singer TM Krishna was scheduled to perform, has been cancelled, allegedly after a campaign by right-wing trolls.
The concert, which was to be held on 17 November, was being organised by the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and SPIC-MACAY. The concert was titled Dance and Music in the Park.
Krishna has been reportedly criticised for singing "Christian Carnatic songs"—for some months now, several Carnatic music performers have been targeted for their attempts to prove that the art form is not just for Hindus. Many trolls called him "anti-India" for lending his voice to Christian hymns.
The Indian Express quoted Krishna, who has often spoken out against the BJP and Hindutva, as saying, "Give me a stage anywhere in Delhi on November 17, I will come and sing. We just can't let ourselves be cowed down by this kind of threats."
AAI chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra has, meanwhile, denied that the concert was cancelled due to pressure from right-wing trolls.
Mohapatra told The Indian Express that 'some exigency' had come up and they were not free that day.
AAI had announced the concert on its Twitter handle on 5 November. It had also tweeted the news about Krishna's performance on 10 November.
Krishna told News18 that he was informed on Tuesday night that the concert would be cancelled.
The hashtag #DisinviteTMKrishna started did the rounds of Twitter after it was announced that Krishna would participate in the concert. Hindutva groups have also targeted Krishna for criticising the government and holding secular views.