A slew of angry hashtags such as #Shameless, #ShameOnBagchi, #ShameOnYouRupankar, and #BoycottRupankarBagchi made it to his social media profiles.
Bagchi came across an older video of late singer Krishnakumar Kunnath, popularly known as KK, on Monday evening and decided to share the first reaction with his 337K followers on Facebook with a five-minute-long video.
A day later, KK succumbed to chronic liver & lung issues after his performance in Kolkata's Nazrul Mancha Auditorium.
In the Facebook live recorded a day before the icon's death, Bagchi said that KK may be a wonderful singer, but West Bengal has better vocalists than him. He further added that regional singers like Somlata (Acharya), Iman (Chakraborty), Raghab (Chatterjee), Ujjaini (Mukherjee), and Rupam (Islam) among others sing better than KK.
"KK, KK, KK...who is KK? Why so much excitement about Mumbai artists? Learn from Odisha, Punjab and Southern industry - please become Bengali first," he could be seen saying in the video about the buzz created by the late Bollywood singer's visit to Kolkata.
He later deleted the video following KK's death, but the damage was done. The video that went viral on social media triggered an outrage.
Many felt it was a result of jealousy, while others called it unnecessary.
Angry fans took to social media to troll and slam his hateful video.
What does hatred give you?Why so much hatred?So much jealous!!!Shame on you #RupankarBagchi
— 🇮🇳 ଦିବ୍ୟାଶ୍ରୀ ||Dibyashree B Jena (@jdibyashree) 1654146657000
This was the jealous statement from one singer #RupankarBagchi stating "Who is #KK" because of craze among youths… https://t.co/0sa7ywvvUQ
— 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬𝐡🇮🇳 (@2prithish) 1654026532000
#RupankarBagchi you made a video by saying that who is KK . Wait a min I'm telling you who is he .. He is actually… https://t.co/OwkrmItpda
— Ananya Sarkar (@AnanyaS39980811) 1654080821000
Who is Rupankar Bagchi??? An honest question this is, though sounds sarcastic. More than 99% of Indians doesn't kn… https://t.co/4AjsZwq9YS
— Diptarka Gohain (@DGohain) 1654139075000
Shame on You #RupankarBagchi !! #Boycoot_RupankarBagchi#Shame_Shame_RupankarBagchi https://t.co/KNvarEUeRq
— Samrat Koner🇮🇳 (@SamratKoner3) 1654071618000
Some even called him a disgrace to his profession and call him out for spreading negativity.
Karma is vengeful #RupankarBagchi. Remember that. Btw, how many people know you outside Bengal? You are a disgrace to your profession.
— RaniLaxmibai (@RaniSengupta) 1654030704000
He who doesn’t respect another artist can’t be an ARTIST. #RupankarBagchi I’ve heard you very little but as an arti… https://t.co/sAhKpCzPhK
— Prama 🇧🇪🇮🇳❤️ (@ladynarrator) 1654073392000
i hope #RupankarBagchi got the answer he was looking for! what a scum! imposing his insecurities and jealousy on th… https://t.co/qeWOYOFH9R
— vivek raj (@vivekbabaji) 1654059014000
#RupankarBagchi who is KK? I hope you got the answer and did you realise who are you? Mental freak.Shame on you.
— Purba (@Purba69214170) 1654149666000
After being trolled on social media over the video, Bagchi said he didn't want to belittle KK.
Bagchi told reporters, "What I meant to say was that people of West Bengal must be more proud of Bengali literature, identity and songs. I spoke in favour of retaining our culture. If anyone thinks otherwise, it is his/her issue."
"I felt sad and shocked to learn about KK's death. This was not the age to die. He had so much to offer. He was a great singer," he added.
Some Bengali cine personalities joined the debate and criticised Bagchi for his comments.
Actress Rupanjana Mitra was upset with Bagchi's comments and took to Facebook to express it. Alongside his video, she called the singer a 'narrow-minded personality'.
"Shame on you Rupankar, You may have got a national award in past but remain a narrow-minded personality. First, you should learn how to respect a fellow artiste," she wrote.
![Mitra's FB post Mitra's FB post](https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-42031747/et-logo.jpg)
Actor Bhaswar Chatterjee also shared his views in the comments section. "Rupankar babu wants to hog the limelight by making adverse comments. Why are you describing yourself as a better singer than KK? Let that be decided by the people. Why are you jumping around? We had never heard anyone else like Raghab da say such things."
![Bhaswar's comment Bhaswar's comment](https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-42031747/et-logo.jpg)
Bagchi also got some support from his friends in the industry.
Speaking in favour of Bagchi, actress Srilekha Mitra said, "We have not lost KK because of Rupankarda. I understand your pain, anger but please don't belittle an artist to pay tribute to another. Why everyone has suddenly launched such an attack on him (Bagchi). It seems people have a complicated mind."
Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh also lent support to Bagchi over the controversy. "KK's death is heart rending. It is so poignant he died shortly after his live performance. But Rupankar should not be linked with his death. That issue should be debated at a different forum," he said.
Meanwhile, KK's post-mortem ruled out unnatural death and revealed that he had a chronic liver and a sever lung condition.
The post-mortem was conducted at the SSK government hospital in Kolkata. The process went on for over an-hour-and-a-half and was also recorded on video.
Singer KK dies after performing at a concert in Kolkata at the age of 53
![](https://img.etimg.com/photo/msid-42031747/et-logo.jpg)
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