Papon quits The Voice India Kids amid allegations of kissing a minor

Singer Papon, who has been embroiled in controversy ever since a video of him kissing an underage girl went viral, has quit the reality show The Voice India Kids.

In a statement issued on Facebook, the singer wrote, "Since I am in no mental state to fulfill most of my professional obligations, I have decided to step down as a judge on the show till the matter in which I have been falsely implicated is fully resolved and the investigations are over. I have full faith in the judicial system and eventually the truth will prevail. In the interim I would appreciate that my privacy is respected."

After the video, which was a part of a Facebook live, Papon was issued a notice by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

"We have seen the video and have gone through the written complaint which came to us from Supreme Court lawyer Runa Bhuyan. We felt this is a provocative case. Necessary legal action will be taken," the official had said.

Papon on the show The Voice India Kids/Image from Twitter.

Earlier, Papon had defended himself in a long Facebook post where he said that he was showing affection for an 11-year-old child he is mentoring and what he did is not an alien concept for him. The singer apologized for his behavior but reiterated that there was no wrong intention behind any of his actions.

An FIR has also been registered against Papon in Assam.