Uttarakhand minister Subodh Uniyal denies apologising to Daler Mehndi, two days after Mika Singh's team said he had

Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Subodh Uniyal said on Tuesday, October 27, that there is "no question" of his apologising to the singer Daler Mehndi, contradicting a statement from the singer's brother Mika Singh's team on October 25 that he had apologised to Mehndi in a phone call. The row began on Sunday, October 18, when Uniyal interrupted Mehndi's show at a state fair in Tehri district, alleging that the singer was lip-syncing and drunk. Mika Singh and several film-industry figures say he does not drink and had recently had surgery. Uniyal says the singer should have told organisers and the audience if he was unwell.

This piece is as of 15:43 IST on Tuesday, October 27. Statements are attributed to the people who made them. None of the reports read contains a medical record, an organisers' statement or a full recording of the show, so the piece does not rule on whether Mehndi was singing live or on his condition.

What happened on October 18

Mehndi was performing at the cultural evening of the Siddhpeeth Maa Kunjapuri Tourism and Development Fair in Narendra Nagar, in the New Tehri area of Tehri Garhwal district, The Times of India reports. Uniyal, who describes himself as a local representative associated with the fair's organising committee, went on stage during the show. ThePrint and Mint quote him telling the singer, "You cannot even speak, so how are you going to sing?" The New Indian Express quotes him saying the people of Narendra Nagar had come to hear the singer live, "not to watch you act to dubbing or someone else's recorded voice".

ABP Live reports that in the video, which went viral, Uniyal alleged that the singer was drunk and "fooling the public" by relying on an audio mixer and pre-recorded tracks, after being paid a large fee. India Today reports that Mehndi, who is 59, can be heard apologising in the video.

Uniyal's account

• October 20, to The Indian Express: Uniyal said that if Mehndi "was not physically fit, he should not have come to the programme", and that "the money had been paid, first-class tickets had been booked for several people, and hotels had been arranged." He said he had received a few calls urging him to say the singer was on medication, and that he refused, without saying who called, The Indian Express reports.
• October 21, to the Press Trust of India (PTI): Uniyal said it became apparent that Mehndi "was only lip-syncing and not singing" and that "Mehndi was not able to speak or walk. At that point, I thought he was under the influence of some substance. I don't know what, because a medical examination was not conducted." He said he later learnt Mehndi was unable to speak because he was unwell, and that "I did not use any foul language while speaking to Mehndi", The Times of India reports. He also said, "We were asked to make full payment of Rs 35 lakh in advance to the artiste."
• Reported October 25, when asked about an apology: The Times of India, citing India Today, reports that at a press conference (the report does not give the date) he said "we didn't even start it" and, asked whether he would apologise, replied "Look, fine" and walked out.
• October 27, in an interview with the YouTube channel Satya Vani: Uniyal said, in Hindi, "Mera maafi maangne ka prashn hi nahi hai" ("There is no question of me apologising") and "Tell me, have I committed any crime that I should apologise?" He added, "If he was unwell, he should not have come. Even if he did come, he should have informed the audience that he was unwell," and "I ask, who is the one at fault?", India Today, Hindustan Times, The Times of India and WION report. Outlook says he rejected reports that the matter had been settled.

Mehndi's side

• Mika Singh, Mehndi's younger brother, said in an Instagram video on October 20 that Mehndi does not drink, has been unwell for about two years and recently had major surgery, and that he would quit singing if anyone could say they had seen Mehndi drunk, ABP Live reports. He asked whether anyone would treat an international band such as Coldplay that way. On October 21 he asked for an apology, Hindustan Times reports, and on October 23 he asked for a public apology, since the rebuke was public, WION reports. India Today reports that Mika said Mehndi had agreed to perform after another singer, Sunanda Sharma, fell ill.
• Daler Mehndi commented under Mika's video on Instagram to thank him, The Free Press Journal reports. The reports read quote no statement from him on the row itself, and The Times of India reported on October 25 that he had made no personal comment.
• Gurdeep Mehndi, his son, called the incident "very hurtful and unfortunate" in a video on October 24 and said the family was stressed, The Free Press Journal reports. He said his father's reply when he asked what happened was "First class, main thik hoon" ("First class, I'm fine").
• Others in the entertainment industry who spoke in Mehndi's support include Kapil Sharma, Shaan, Badshah, Harshdeep Kaur, Anupam Kher, Vir Das and Neil Nitin Mukesh, according to The Indian Express, The Times of India and The Free Press Journal. Sharma said Mehndi had gone through "some serious surgery". The Times of India notes that the nature of the illness and surgery "remains unclear".

Political reaction

Amarjit Singh, general secretary of the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee, criticised Uniyal for making the allegation without medical verification and demanded a public apology, ThePrint reports. ThePrint also quotes a post from the Rajasthan Congress Sevadal asking whether the minister assumed Mehndi was drunk because he is a Sikh. ThePrint says Sikhs are about 2.34 per cent of Uttarakhand's population but about 9.9 per cent in Udham Singh Nagar district, and quotes the political analyst Chandrachud Singh saying the row is unlikely to have a large political effect.

Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said on October 22 that "the minister must have been under pressure from the public at that time" and had said he was unaware the singer was unwell, India Today reports. Hindustan Times and The New Indian Express report him saying it was time to close the matter. He spoke to Mika Singh that day and to Mehndi on October 23. In a post on X on October 23 he wrote that "our effort is to leave this incident behind and move forward with mutual dialogue, harmony, and a spirit of positivity", WION reports.

The apology claim, October 25 to 27

On October 25, Mika Singh's team issued a statement, relayed by the news agency IANS, saying: "We appreciate that Subodh Uniyal ji has apologised to Daler Mehndi paaji over a telephonic conversation regarding the unfortunate incident." It added that the team hoped the matter could "now be put behind us", The Times of India, WION and Outlook report. The reports read attribute the apology to that statement. Dainik Jagran said on October 26, in Hindi, that Uniyal had apologised and that the row was over, then that "it is being said" he apologised by phone; it adds that it tried to reach the minister for his side but could not.

At a press conference, Mika Singh said Dhami had "offered an apology on behalf of the Minister" and invited both brothers to Uttarakhand, and that he told Dhami it was not necessary, The Times of India reports. Uniyal's denial on October 27 came two days after the team's statement. India Today said in its morning reports on October 27 that Mika Singh and Mehndi's representatives had not yet reacted to it.

The Maninder Buttar thread

India Today reports that, during the confrontation, Uniyal allegedly brought up the Punjabi singer Maninder Buttar. It quotes Mika Singh's post on X as saying Uniyal "reportedly said on stage" a line that Mika translates as "Before you Maninder Buttar got beaten up here. He was thrashed so much that even his father would not dare to come here". Mika's post asked whether that was the language a minister should use for artists.

Buttar answered in an Instagram live video on Monday, October 26, India Today and Dainik Bhaskar report (the Bhaskar report is in Hindi). He said that when he performed at the same venue in 2019, the minister came on stage and put a traditional Pahadi cap on him and he performed the show wearing it. He denied any misbehaviour or violence on that occasion, said he had never performed under the influence of alcohol or any substance, and asked the minister to release the full, unedited recording of the 2019 show. None of the reports read carries a response from Uniyal to Buttar.

Where reports differ

• Whether Uniyal apologised: Mika Singh's team said on October 25 that he had, in a phone call, and Dainik Jagran said it could not reach the minister for his side. Uniyal said on October 27 that he had not. No report read carries a statement from Mehndi on the point.
• The fee: Uniyal gave Rs 35 lakh to ANI on October 20 (Mint) and to PTI on October 21 (The Times of India). In a PTI video from Dehradun on October 24 he referred to Rs 36 lakh, ABP Live reports. In the October 27 interview he said Mehndi took Rs 26 lakh. Hindustan Times notes that he had earlier told ANI the fee was Rs 35 lakh. No report read says which figure is the contract amount.
• How the allegation was put: ABP Live quotes him telling Mehndi, "You are drunk and fooling the public". To PTI on October 21 he said he "thought he was under the influence of some substance" and that no medical examination had been done.
• Dhami's "apology": Mika Singh said at his press conference that Dhami apologised on the minister's behalf. The posts by Dhami that ThePrint, WION and India Today quote speak of dialogue and harmony and do not use the word "apology".
• Mehndi's health: Mika Singh and others say Mehndi was recovering from major surgery. Uniyal said on October 21 he later learnt Mehndi was unwell, and on October 27 that Mehndi should have said so beforehand. The Times of India says the nature of the illness and surgery is unclear.

What is not yet known

• Whether Mika Singh or Mehndi will respond publicly to Uniyal's October 27 denial.
• Whether Uniyal will respond to Maninder Buttar's request for the 2019 recording.
• Whether the fair's organisers will say what Mehndi was booked and paid, and what they were told about his health.
• Whether any recording of the full show will be published, and whether the Congress or the state government takes the matter further.

Drafted by the Alethman engine from independent reports and rewritten and checked by an editor against 24 reports before publication. An outlet's side comes from published media-bias ratings (Media Bias/Fact Check, AllSides) or documented ownership, named under the coverage bar; Alethman does not rate outlets itself.