By: Umme Kulsum
May 2 2023
No, Diljit Dosanjh did not disrespect the Indian flag during his Coachella performance
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Fact-Check
The Verdict False
Dosanjh didn't object to a woman waving the flag, his statement was misinterpreted. "I said this performance is for my country," he later clarified.
Claim ID 227c5fe3
Context
A video of Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh speaking to the audience during his recent event at the Coachella music festival in California, United States, went viral on social media. The viral video claimed Diljit disrespected the Indian flag during his performance. Social media users alleged that the singer asked a woman who was holding the Indian tricolour to take it down. However, the matter has been blown out of context.
In fact
While speaking to the audience in Punjabi, Dosanjh said, “This is for my Punjabi brothers and sisters. This girl is holding my country's flag. This (performance) is for my country. Music belongs to everyone, not to someone specific. So stay away from negativity (translated into English).” During the interaction, he did not make any remark insulting the national flag at Coachella. Twitter users have misinterpreted his remarks and criticized the artist.
On April 25, 2023, clarifying his statement, Dosanjh posted a tweet saying, “DON’T SPREAD FAKE NEWS & NEGATIVITY.” He added an explanation in Punjabi, which when translated to English, reads: “I said this is my country’s flag; this is for my country, which means this performance is for my country. If you don’t understand Punjabi, then Google it. Because Coachella is a big music festival, where people from all over the world come. That’s why music is for everyone. Someone should learn from you, how to twist a right thing into something wrong… Google this too.”
According to a longer video posted by Amritsar Kesari on Facebook, Diljit can be heard dedicating his performance to India and thanking everyone for attending the event.
The Verdict
The claim that Diljit Dosanjh insulted the country’s flag during his interaction at the Coachella music festival 2023 is incorrect and misinterpreted. Therefore, we mark this claim as false.