Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra struck a defiant note on Tuesday amid growing calls for his arrest — re-sharing yet another parody song from his show via social media. The post came even as the Mumbai Police issued a notice to the performer for making ‘derogatory’ remarks against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. The state government has also sought an apology from Kamra over his political ‘contract act’ and indicated plans to check his CDRs and bank statements “to ascertain who is behind” the incident.
Kamra made waves over the weekend after excerpts from a recent performance went viral. The comedian had also shared a clip from his show where he could be heard referring to the former CM as a gaddar (traitor) — an allusion to his 2022 rebellion that led to a split within the Shiv Sena. Several Shiv Sena workers had vandalised the Habitat studio in Mumbai on Sunday night as the footage gained momentum.
The latest video excerpt features protesters vandalising the event venue and tussling with the police while Kamra sings a modified version of Hum Honge Kamyab. The comedian has also insisted via an Instagram statement that he did not fear ‘this mob’ and would not apologise for his comments. He had also posted a photo of himself holding the Indian Constitution in response to the outrage.
“I will not apologise. What I said is exactly what Ajit Pawar (1st Deputy CM) said about Eknath Shinde (2nd Deputy CM). I don’t fear this mob and I will not be hiding under my bed, waiting for this to die down,” he wrote on Monday night.
Meanwhile the Mumbai Police sent a notice to his residence, asking Kamra to appear before it on Tuesday morning. The comedian (who is believed to be out of town at present) has since sought a week’s time from the authorities.
“Freedom of expression is important, but it should not be misused. Many writers engage in satire, but what happened today was an act of immorality, licentious behaviour, and a hit job done for money,” Deputy CM Shinde added in conversation with a Marathi news channel.