Diljit Dosanjh says he will come to Indore and eat poha, despite threat emails and song curbs

Security and administrative activity has intensified around Punjabi singer and actor Diljit Dosanjh's concert in Indore. Threat emails have been received in the name of a terror organisation, and the child protection department has barred four songs. Dosanjh has nevertheless made clear that he will come to the city. He posted old pictures of the city's well-known food hub, Chhappan Dukan, on social media and wrote: "I will come and the first thing I will eat is poha."

Dosanjh's live show is scheduled for 15 November at the C-21 estate/mall complex in Indore. Just ahead of the event, threat emails were sent in the name of the "Khalistani National Army". They warn of blowing up the concert venue and the main stage with IEDs and bomb blasts. The emails also advise parents not to send their children to the event.

The emails were sent to the official email IDs of the Gwalior High Court, a judge, the Indore mayor's office and three well-known private schools in the city. Given the seriousness of the matter, the police and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) are conducting a technical investigation, but there is still no clue to the unidentified sender.

Alongside the security concern, a legal tangle has arisen over the songs to be performed. The District Child Protection Officer has sent a formal letter to the venue's management directing that Dosanjh not sing four of his popular songs. The administration's argument is that lyrics promoting liquor, drugs and illegal weapons can badly influence the thinking of minor children. The songs for which a ban has been recommended include "Patiala Peg", "5 Taara Thekay", "Jeb Vichon Afeem Labhiya" and "Jatt Uthe Fire Karda Jithe Pabandi Hathiyar Di".

The controversy around Dosanjh's concerts is not limited to Madhya Pradesh. In Delhi, police had initially withheld permission because of a security assessment. After a wider security review it was cleared, and the show took place on 30 October. On 23 October, the office of Mumbai's former mayor, Ritu Tawde, also received an emailed threat that spoke of targeting the singer's concert.

Only five days remain for the concert. According to the local police administration, the organisers have so far not submitted an official application for formal permission for the event and for law and order arrangements. The administration and police thus face the challenge of tracing the sender of the threat emails on one hand, and the pressure of handling a huge crowd and building a multi-layered security cordon on the other.