Bhojpuri actor and singer Pawan Singh has landed in yet another controversy after a new video from a recent event in Lucknow went viral on social media. The video shows Singh encouraging inappropriate behaviour involving a young child, which netizens claimed is his nephew.
In the now-viral clip, Singh is seen urging the boy on stage to hug his co-star Anjali Raghav and another woman present alongside her. The child, visibly hesitant, initially resists the suggestion.
However, Singh continues to insist, even making a hugging gesture himself while asking the boy to follow through.
Netizens slam Pawan Singh
The moment has drawn reactions from viewers online, many of whom condemned the actor's actions as irresponsible and insensitive.
"He is an extremely despicable man," an X ((formerly known as Twitter) user wrote. Another commented, "Bachhe ka expression dekhiye kitna dara hua hai... Ye log gire hue insaan hai."
"An artist like Pawan Singh is neither human nor social… He should be openly opposed. He is no longer even worthy of coming to Delhi and Haryana. He does not know how to respect women," another angry netizen commented.
"In terms of obscenity, Bhojpuri actors are leaving Bollywood behind," wrote another user in Hindi.
Slamming the Bhojpuri star, another user wrote, "A man who repeatedly displays such disgusting behavior is a danger to children and women alike."
"This guy is a criminal hiding behind the face of an actor," another commented.
"Pawan Singh should be thrashed publicly for his Cheap mental behaviour, I will request some organiser to call him and give the required public dose," lashed out another X user.
Here's how others reacted:
This comes shortly after another controversial video from the same Lucknow event surfaced online. In that earlier clip, Singh was seen inappropriately touching co-star Anjali Raghav's waist on stage. This had sparked outrage and discussions about professionalism and consent.
After severe backlash, Singh apologised to Anjali. On August 31, he wrote on his Instagram story, "Anjali ji, I wasn't able to see your live due to my busy schedule. When I came to know about it (controversy), I felt bad. I had no wrong intention towards you because we are artists. Despite this, if you have been hurt by any of my behavior, I am sorry."
Anjali Raghav quits Bhojpuri film industry
On August 30, Anjali, known for her work in Haryanvi music videos, reacted to the video showing Singh inappropriately touching her waist. She condemned his actions and announced that she would no longer work in the Bhojpuri industry.
Anjali shared that since the video went viral, she has been worried and continuously receiving messages from people asking her to speak out, questioning why she did not take action on stage or slap him, and why she was seen smiling instead.
