Virat Kohli, the renowned Indian cricketer, recently stirred controversy as he unfollowed Shubhneet Singh, a 26-year-old rapper known as Shubh, on Instagram. Adding to the tension, consumer electronics brand boAT decided to withdraw its sponsorship from Shubh’s tour. The controversy escalated when fans of Shubh began targeting Kohli with abusive comments on his recent social media posts. The question arises: who is Shubh?

Shubhneet Singh, hailing from Punjab and currently residing in Brampton, Canada, is a rising rapper with a significant following. The controversy unfolded against the backdrop of strained India-Canada relations, exacerbated by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s accusation of “Indian agents” being involved in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver.

Shubh found himself in hot water after posting an Instagram image captioned ‘Pray for Punjab,’ featuring a map of India without the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and the North-East. This move shocked fans, including Virat Kohli, who had previously expressed admiration for Shubh’s work on Instagram.

Following Kohli’s lead, cricketers K.L. Rahul and Hardik Pandya also unfollowed Shubh on social media. Despite the rapper boasting one million Instagram followers and 13 million monthly Spotify listeners, the fallout from his controversial post has had a significant impact on his social media standing.

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boAT, the consumer electronics brand sponsoring Shubh’s tour, explained its decision to withdraw support, stating that they are a true Indian brand and, upon learning about Shubh’s remarks, chose to distance themselves. The “remarks” referred to an Instagram post made by Shubh during the Punjab Police hunt for Khalistani terrorist Amritpal Singh, resulting in the arrest of some of the rapper’s followers.

Shubh gained recognition in 2021 with his track ‘We Rollin,’ which resonated with the Punjabi diaspora across Canada, the UK, the US, and New Zealand. His single ‘Baller’ even secured a spot on the Billboard Canadian Hot 100, ranking at No. 68. Starting the year with ‘Don’t Look,’ co-produced with Punjabi pop artist Irman Thiara, Shubh continued to make waves with subsequent releases like ‘Elevated’ and ‘Offshore.’ Despite the controversies, Shubh remains a notable figure in the music scene.