Comedian Kunal Kamra refuses to apologize
NEW DELHI: Kunal Kamra’s name is the center of most discussions in the country these days… He is known as much for his work i.e. stand-up comedy… as much as he has made a special identity for himself due to being associated with controversies… In such a situation, the reason for his name coming into the headlines again… is his recent satire… in which he has made controversial remarks about Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde… and has taken a jibe at the Shiv Sena faction… and not only this… but he has also targeted PM Modi and Amit Shah…
After the controversy over his remarks on Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, sources close to comedian Kunal Kamra have said that he has ‘asked for a week’s time’ to appear before the Mumbai Police. Mr. Kamra has said that he will cooperate with the police, but he has no regrets over his remarks. On the other hand, Shiv Sena (Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut said Kamra is a fighter and he should not apologize. We both have the same DNA.
He has been receiving death threats from workers of Mr Shinde’s party Shiv Sena. Sources said Mr Kamra has received at least 500 calls in which people have threatened to kill him and cut him into pieces (“kaat denge tumhein”). In a show shot at the Habitat Comedy Club in Khar, Mumbai, Kamra had made some comments on the Shiv Sena chief – without naming him – through a satirical version of the song ‘Bholi si surat’ from the 1997 blockbuster ‘Dil To Pagal Hai’. The satirical song also mentioned ‘traitor’, which was seen as a reference to Mr Shinde splitting the Shiv Sena and joining hands with the BJP in 2022, which led to the Uddhav Thackeray-led government losing power in Maharashtra.
After Mr Kamra’s show was posted on YouTube, Shiv Sena workers vandalised the Habitat Comedy Club in Khar. The police had arrested 12 people associated with the Sena, who later got bail. The case is being investigated by the Khar police, who asked the comedian to appear before the investigating officer on Tuesday. He also posted a video on Tuesday, which showed visuals of Shiv Sena workers vandalising the Habitat Comedy Club, along with another satirical song from his comedy special.
Satirising “Hum Honge Kamyaab”, the comedian had changed the words to “Hum Honge Kangal” during his comedy special. It was the same song that Kamra used for his new post, which showed Sena workers vandalising the comedy club, throwing chairs and leaving documents and photographs on the stairs. The video also showed Sena workers burning Mr Kamra’s photograph, preparing to burn his effigy and flashing victory signs after he was granted bail by the magistrate’s court.
Kamra’s post also carried a clip of Shiv Sena Yuva Sena general secretary Rahul Kanal, who is among the 12 Sena-affiliated men arrested for vandalising the studio. Using a popular film dialogue, Mr Kanal had told news agency ANI that it was only a trailer and the picture was yet to come. “It is not about taking the law into your hands. It is purely about your self-respect. You will get a good lesson in Shiv Sena style whenever you are in Mumbai,” the Shiv Sena leader had said.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in an interview to a news agency, said freedom of expression cannot be used to make “personal attacks”. He referred to comedian Kunal Kamra and his ‘traitor’ joke about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
“But unfortunately, some people feel it is their birthright to use this freedom to break the country and increase divisions,” the BJP leader said. The comedian – who on Monday told the Mumbai police that he had no regrets about cracking the joke and would only apologise if the courts ordered so – was seen as a reference to Mr Shinde’s move to split the Shiv Sena and join hands with the BJP in 2022. This, in turn, led to the Uddhav Thackeray-led government losing power in Maharashtra.
