Haryanvi singer Masoom Sharma was confronted by protesting crowds at the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Dehradun on Thursday, October 1, before his performance at the closing ceremony of the Uttarakhand Premier League (UPL) final. The Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD), Mool Niwas and Bhu-Kanoon Sangharsh Samiti and other groups protested against his appearance saying slogans like ‘Go Back’ and demanding that his performance be cancelled. They were reportedly detained by the police as security was beefed up around the venue.
The controversy arises from an alleged objectionable and abusive use of language by Sharma at DAV (PG) College, Dehradun in April 2026. An FIR was registered at the Dalanwala police station under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and police sent a notice to the singer regarding the case. Sharma expressed regret over his remarks and said that he shouldn’t have used such language.
Prior to Sharma’s performance at the UPL on Thursday, talks reportedly took place between Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU) and representatives of groups objecting to the singer’s performance. According to The Times of India, the groups sought cancellation of the performance while officials at CAU said that a part of the artist’s payment had already been made. Reportedly, the committee made one condition that Sharma should publicly apologise to the people of Uttarakhand from the stage before performing.
Sharma took the stage to perform and publicly apologised before starting his act. he expressed regret if his words had hurt anyone and sought forgiveness from the people of Uttarakhand. He performed songs like his popular Haryanvi numbers as the UPL final proceedings continued.