Sonu Nigam, who recently sparked a debate for his tweets on places of worship using loudspeakers for prayers, shaved his head on Wednesday in reaction to Syed Sha Atef Ali Al Quaderi's (vice president, West Bengal Minority United Council) fatwa to have his head shaved for a Rs 10 lakh reward.

Speaking to BT, Sonu clarified, “My intention is not to agitate, but what are we becoming as a society? On one hand, you say everyone has a right to an opinion and on the other, if you voice it, you are subjected to this. The right wing and left wing are fighting with each other and I am in the centre. I don't belong to either. It's unfair that you conveniently highlight a part of my tweet and make an issue out of it. Main sabke baare mein bol raha hoon. It's not about a particular religion. I spoke with complete dignity.“

Ask him why he had to fall for any kind of provocation and take this step and he answers, “Kab tak tolerate karte rahenge? Someone has to give it back. I don't have to prove to anyone about my secular state of mind.“

The singer's 10-year-old son Nevaan walks in as he speaks to us over the phone. Sonu consoles him saying that his new look is stylish and he shaved off his head because it's hot outside. He gets back to us saying, “My son is shocked to see his dad like this. He is not familiar with this kind of unrest and I regret he has to see this but he has to know what's happening around. What I did (shaved off my head) was not in the heat of the moment. I have the guts to stand by what I believe in and will always do. I am not scared as you are only scared when you don't know what you are saying.“

Since most of the A-listers in Bollywood have kept mum on the issue, we wondered if the singer is upset. Sounding nonchalant, he says, “I have a few good people around me but I don't really need anybody's support.“ To those who believe he is doing this for publicity, Sonu concludes, “It's okay. They have a right to have an opinion.“