Child protection authorities in Indore have directed the management of C-21 Mall to make sure singer Diljit Dosanjh does not sing four of his songs at his live concert at the venue on November 15. The authorities said the songs have an adverse effect on young children.
The notice, dated November 6 and issued by the District Child Protection Officer as part of the Women and Child Development Department, Indore, lists four songs: 'Patiala Peg', '5 Taara'', 'Jeeb Vicho Afeem' ('Case') and 'Jatt Uthe Fire Karda', all in Punjabi.
The notice says the concert is open to children above the age of five, and that the songs have "a wrong influence on young children". It directs the mall management, "in compliance with" a July 2019 order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, to ensure the songs are not sung during the concert.
The action follows a complaint on November 1 by Chandigarh-based professor Panditrao Dharenavar. Dharenavar was also the petitioner in one of five cases, largely concerning noise pollution, that the high court decided together in the 2019 order.
In that order, the court said it could take judicial notice of the fact that "glorification of the liquor, wine, drugs and violence in the songs" in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh "has increased in recent times". It added: "These songs affect the children of impressionable age." It directed the police chiefs of Punjab, Haryana and the Union Territory of Chandigarh "to ensure that no songs are played glorifying the liquor, wine, drugs and violence in any song even in live shows".
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In his complaint, Dharenavar asked the authorities not to allow Dosanjh to sing the four songs "even with twisted lyrics", citing the court order and the Centre's anti-addiction initiatives.
Dharenavar also sought that Dosanjh not be allowed to call children on stage, saying the sound on stage usually exceeds 120 decibels and that rapidly pulsing stage lights "can trigger seizures in children". He further asked that the singer not be allowed to wear "two crisscrossed silver bullet belts (also known as bandoliers) or dummy metallic silver cartridges over his chest". The complaint said these "will symbolise the gun gesture which is violent in nature" and "might instigate the audience to behave in a violent manner".
Officials said the directions are limited to the four songs. Copies of the notice were sent to the Indore collector, the sub-divisional officer (revenue), the joint director of the Women and Child Development Department, Indore division, and the station house officer of the Vijay Nagar police station.
The Indore notice comes days after the opening show of Dosanjh's Aura India Tour in Delhi ran into trouble with the police. On October 21, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Anant Mittal informed organiser BookMyShow Live that permission for the concert had been declined. The police cited security concerns, specific threat-related inputs, existing security commitments during the festive season and law-and-order responsibilities.
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A senior police officer linked the concerns partly to emails sent to six Delhi schools on October 15. One of the emails warned students against attending Dosanjh's concert and included pro-Khalistani slogans. The concert had originally been scheduled for November 1. It was moved to October 30 following an appeal to reconsider the date in view of the anniversary of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence.
The police reversed their decision a day later. Delhi Police officials told ANI that the organisers had held multiple meetings with them and presented detailed security plans, after which permission was granted. The concert was held at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on October 30.
This is not the first time Dharenavar has targeted these songs at a Dosanjh concert. In November 2024, the Telangana government served a notice on the organisers of Dosanjh's Hyderabad show on his Dil-Luminati tour. Dharenavar had submitted video evidence of Dosanjh singing such songs at an earlier concert at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Delhi. That notice named 'Case', '5 Taara' and 'Patiala Peg' among the songs.
Dosanjh changed lyrics on stage at the Hyderabad show. In '5 Taara', he sang '5 taara hotel ch' instead of the original '5 taara theke utte', which refers to a liquor shop. In 'Lemonade', the word 'daaru' (alcohol) became 'Coke' as in Coca-Cola.
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At his Ahmedabad show days later, Dosanjh did not sing any alcohol-themed tracks. He said that if all states declared themselves dry like Gujarat, he would never sing songs about liquor again.
Similar advisories followed later in the tour. The Chandigarh Commission for Protection of Child Rights advised Dosanjh to refrain from singing some of his hit songs, including 'Patiala Peg', at his December 2024 concert. Before his Mumbai show that month, the Maharashtra State Commission for Protection of Child Rights served a notice restricting him from performing songs that promote drugs, violence and alcohol. That notice also followed a complaint by Dharenavar.
The Indore show has also drawn bomb-threat emails. Three private schools and the office of Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava received emails threatening a blast on the day of the concert.
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