Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
Claim
Canada-based rapper Shubh featured on the Times Square billboard in New York amid the controversy over his alleged support for Khalistan and separatists.
Fact
Viral picture dates back to October 1, 2022 and was uploaded by the singer on Instagram.
A graphic, purportedly showing Canada-based singer and rapper Shubhneet Singh (Shubh) featured on New York’s famous Times Square billboard, has recently gone viral, amid the controversy over his alleged support for Khalistan and separatists, forcing the cancellation of his India tour. The posts can be seen here and here.
What is the controversy around Shubh?
The Canadian singer has been reportedly accused of being a Khalistani sympathiser and had been facing intense backlash after it was alleged that he supported Khalistani elements in a previous social media post, where he shared a distorted map of India, following which his Mumbai concert was cancelled.
Fact Check
Newschecker noticed the words “kidaan.com” on the viral graphic, prompting a keyword search that led us to this article, dated October 1, 2022, from the media outlet based out of Chandigarh, Punjab, which publishes news related to the Punjabi entertainment industry and Bollywood.
“Yes, if you are a true admirer and fan of Shubh, you must be happy to know that the singer has made it to the Times Square Billboard. The fans are capturing and sharing the pictures of the same on social media,” read the article. A similar article can be seen here, stating that Shubh had also posted it on Instagram, following the release of his song, Baller.
We then looked up Shubh’s Instagram page, where the highlights section showed the story that was uploaded on October 1, 2022.
Conclusion
A 2022 photo of Canada-based rapper Shubh appearing on New York’s famous Times Square billboard is being shared as a recent picture, following the controversy over the singer’s alleged support for Khalistan and separatists.
Result: Missing Context
Sources
Kiddaan.com report, October 1, 2022
Instagram story, Shubh, October 1, 2022
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Authors
Kushel HM is a mechanical engineer-turned-journalist, who loves all things football, tennis and films. He was with the news desk at the Hindustan Times, Mumbai, before joining Newschecker.
Pankaj Menon is a fact-checker based out of Delhi who enjoys ‘digital sleuthing’ and calling out misinformation. He has completed his MA in International Relations from Madras University and has worked with organisations like NDTV, Times Now and Deccan Chronicle online in the past.
