Diljit Dosanjh briefly halted his San Francisco concert after a protester rushed the stage, waving a flag
Indian singer and rapper Diljit Dosanjh’s concert at San Francisco’s iconic Chase Center was briefly disrupted after a man carrying a Khalistan flag breached security and rushed onto the stage during a performance.
The incident took place during one of Dosanjh’s back-to-back shows on his Aura World Tour and has since attracted widespread attention online. A video circulating on social media shows the singer performing before the individual suddenly steps onto the stage, waving a Khalistan flag and dancing dangerously close to him.
After noticing the man’s proximity, Dosanjh immediately halted his performance and moved away. Security personnel quickly intervened, restraining the individual and escorting him off the stage and out of the venue. Additional videos shared online appear to show local police officers detaining the man. According to Indian media reports, he was arrested following the incident.
The disruption is not the first of its kind at one of Dosanjh’s international concerts. In April, during a stop on his Aura 2026 Tour in Canada, a group of alleged pro-Khalistan supporters reportedly entered the venue carrying separatist flags and chanting slogans before being removed by security staff.
Following the Canada incident, Dosanjh addressed the matter in a strongly worded message shared on social media in Punjabi. “Standing outside and protesting, anyone can do that. But if you try to come inside and harass my fans, that will not be tolerated,” he wrote.
He added that bringing a banner or flag into a venue could simply reflect where someone comes from or the support they wish to show. However, he stressed that attempts to abuse or intimidate concertgoers would not be accepted. “If you’re standing outside with the same banner abusing my fans, and then try to come inside and do the same thing, that will not be tolerated,” he said.
Clarifying his position further, Dosanjh emphasised that the issue was not the banner or flag itself, but the intent behind it. “This is not about any banner or flag. The real issue is your intention behind it. I told security that anyone trying to disrupt the programme should be picked up and thrown out,” he wrote.
The singer also noted that he had avoided commenting on the issue for years but felt compelled to speak out to prevent his views from being misrepresented. According to Dosanjh, his concern is maintaining a safe environment for fans rather than targeting any particular symbol or group.