Shiv Sena MLA's son attacks singer Sonu Nigam over selfies at Mumbai event

Singer Sonu Nigam was allegedly attacked on Monday night during a brawl over selfies. Police have determined the prime accused to be Swapnil Phaterpekar, the son of local Shiv Sena MLA Prakash Phaterpekar.

In a similar fashion to how cricketer Prithvi Shaw was attacked last week, Nigam was manhandled at an event in Mumbai by an enraged fan, later identified as Phaterpekar, after the singer refused selfies.

The incident took place around 11 pm when Nigam was in suburban Chembur to attend a music festival. He then filed a complaint at the Chembur police station.

The Chembur police registered an FIR against Phaterpekar, under Indian Penal Code Sections 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), 341 (wrongful restraint), and 337 (causing hurt by act endangering life or personal safety of others), the official said.

While leaving the venue, a group of fans approached the singer for a selfie when his two colleagues intervened, he said.

Both colleagues of Nigam were manhandled by the fans, leading to one of them receiving minor injuries, said the official.

A video of the incident later surfaced on social media platforms.

Later in the night, Nigam spoke to the media and said "my friend would have died, he was trying to help me."

Later, the accused's sister in a tweet said on behalf of the organisers, they have officially apologised to Nigam and his team for the unpleasant incident. She said while Nigam was being hurriedly ushered off the stage after delivering his performance, her brother was trying to take a selfie with the singer. "Due to the rush & furore, there was a commotion that ensued," she tweeted.