Talent show finale ends in ruckus

The scene at the finale of a talent hunt show for schoolchildren turned ugly after parents and organisers clashed at air force auditorium in south Delhi’s Dhaula Kuan. HT Correspondent reports.

The scene at the finale of a talent hunt show for schoolchildren turned ugly after parents and organisers clashed at air force auditorium in south Delhi’s Dhaula Kuan on Wednesday.

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Around half-past-three in the afternoon, around 200 parents and children had assembled at the venue for the finale of “Prince and Princess”— the talent show for kids in Jaipur, Gwalior, Ranchi and Delhi. Diyadeep India, an NGO had organized the contest and th e final’s chief guest was actor Jimmy Shergill.

Some parents alleged the organizers had rigged the show in lieu of money. They alleged the organizers assaulted them when they complained about rigging.

Madhu, mother of four-year-old Aditya of Gwalior, said her son did not even go on stage while the organisers charged her Rs 20,000. “How can they declare a winner without any competition,” she asked.

The situation was aggravated when one of the bouncers reportedly whipped out a pistol to scare away the parents.

“We are verifying who had flashed the firearm,” said N. Jagadeshan, DCP (southwest).

The organizers were detained but later released.

“We had already made clear in the agreement that parents have to bear all costs,” said Yashi Shukla, Diyadeep project head.