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Even as he continues to receive massive criticism for assaulting a student at his home, renowned Pakistani singer Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is now under scrutiny for this perceived “inhumane behaviour” by Indian artists as well. Responding to the incident, playback singer Chinmayi Sripaada dubbed it as “horrendous”.
Quote-tweeting the video, showing Khan hitting the student, on X (formerly Twitter), Chinmayi wrote, “Some of these people behave like such gentle, soft-spoken souls in public, one would never think they’d be capable of such inhumane behaviour.”
She also mentioned that if cameras had been available earlier, the true nature of certain revered figures would have been revealed sooner. “If only cameras existed earlier – more of those we celebrate as so-called greats would have been exposed for what they actually were to other people. Horrendous,” the singer noted.
The video, which surfaced online on Saturday, captures Khan hitting a man with a shoe during an altercation over a bottle. In the clip, Khan asks for a bottle from the student, who states that he doesn’t know about it. The singer issues a stern warning, “Main tujhe maruga (I will beat you).” as he asks him to look for his bottle. He is also seen slapping the individual as he walks out of the room to look for the bottle.
However, after the incident sparked controversy, Khan released a clarification video standing alongside the victim and his father. He explained that the requested bottle did not contain liquor but holy water from a religious cleric who recited verses over it.
“This is about a personal issue between an ustad and shagird. He is like my son. This is how the relationship is between a teacher and student. If a disciple does something good, I shower my love on him. If he does something wrong, he is punished,” he says in the video.
While acknowledging the incident arose from misplacing a holy water bottle, the victim clarified in the video that his intentions were not malicious. “He’s like my father. He loves us a lot. Whoever spread this video is trying to defame my ustad,” he added.
In response to the clarification video, Chinmayi wrote, “The justification he gives here is ‘The teacher showers love on the student when they do well; and the punishment is equally harsh when they make a mistake.’ Gurus get protected by the ‘divinity’ of their position, regardless of the faith/religion they practice – all their transgressions, from violence, emotional abuse to sexual abuse are condoned for the sake of their ‘artistry’, ‘talent’ etc etc. This needs to stop.”
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