Musician Subhas Nair expected to plead guilty to trying to promote ill will between ethnic groups

Shaffiq Alkhatib
The Straits Times
Feb 22, 2022

Local musician Subhas Nair, who is accused of four counts of attempting to promote feelings of ill will between different religious and ethnic groups, is expected to plead guilty to his offences on April 29.

The case involving the 29-year-old Singaporean, whose full name is Subhas Govin Prabhakar Nair, was heard in a district court on Tuesday (Feb 22).

He is now expected to plead guilty before Senior District Judge Bala Reddy.

In an earlier statement, the police said Nair had allegedly breached a 24-month conditional warning given on Aug 14, 2019, after allegedly producing and publishing a racially charged rap video online.

The clip is said to have attempted to promote feelings of ill will between Chinese people and other races.

One of the terms of the warning stated that if he reoffended, Nair could be prosecuted for the offence for which he was warned, in addition to prosecution for any fresh offence.

Despite the warning, Nair allegedly posted comments on social media on July 25, 2020, in response to a video of Chinese Christians who had made hateful comments against another community.

He allegedly commented that Malay Muslims who make the same hateful comments would be treated differently by the authorities compared with the Chinese Christians.

Nair is also accused of trying to promote feelings of ill will between Chinese and Indians by claiming in a post on Oct 15, 2020, that one of the Chinese persons involved in the 2019 Orchard Towers murder of an Indian man purportedly received lenient treatment from the authorities because of his race.

While under police investigation, Nair allegedly tried to promote feelings of ill will between Chinese and Indians during a stage performance on March 11 last year, by exhibiting a cartoon drawing of his Oct 15, 2020, post.

For each charge, an offender convicted of attempting to promote feelings of ill will between different groups on grounds of religion or race can be jailed for up to three years and fined.