Beatroot News: Text-only

The Mumbai police on Monday registered an FIR against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during a show, officials said.

The police also registered a case against nearly 40 Shiv Sena workers for allegedly vandalising the Habitat Studio in Mumbai's Khar area, where Kamra’s show with "gaddar" (traitor) jibe at Shinde was filmed, as well as a hotel in whose premises the studio is located, they said.

A large number of Shiv Sena workers on Sunday night gathered outside Hotel Unicontinental, where the studio is located. They allegedly ransacked the studio and the hotel premises, the police said. Notably, the Habitat Studio, where Kamra's show was held, is the same venue where the controversial 'India's Got Latent' show had been filmed.

After a video surfaced online showing Kamra allegedly using defamatory words against Shinde, Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel lodged a police complaint.

Based on the complaint, the MIDC police registered a First Information Report (FIR) in the early hours of Monday against Kamra under various Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) actions, including 353(1)(b) (statements conducing to public mischief) and 356(2) (defamation), an official said. In the nearly 2-minute video, Kamra also mocked the ruling NCP and Shiv Sena, the MIDC police station official said, adding an investigation was underway.

Another FIR was registered by the Khar police against 19 Shiv Sena functionaries, who have been named, including Rahul Kanal (Yuva Sena), Vibhag Pramukh Kunal Sarmarkar and Akshay Panvelkar, and 15 to 20 unidentified persons for allegedly vandalising the Habitat Studio as well as ransacking the hotel properties, an official said.

Panvelkar, Sarmarkar and other Shiv Sainiks entered the hotel and studio and damaged them, Khar police sub-inspector Vijay Saed, on whose complaint the FIR was lodged, alleged in his statement. They were shouting slogans like "Shiv Sena Zindabad". When the police intervened, they allegedly pushed the on-duty police personnel and also manhandled the hotel staffers. They were later brought to the police station for further probe, Saed said.

The video of Kamra's jibe at Shinde was also posted on X by rival Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut by saying “Kunal Ka Kamal”.

Kamra taunted Shinde using a modified version of a Hindi song from the film “Dil To Pagal Hai”, eliciting laughter from the audience. Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske on Sunday warned Kamra that he would be chased by the party workers throughout the country. “You will be forced to flee India,” he said in a video message.

Calling Kamra a “contract comedian”, Mhaske said he should not have stepped on the “tail of a snake (apparently referring to Shinde)”.

“Once the fangs are out, there will be dire consequences,” he warned. The MP from Thane also alleged that the comedian had accepted money from Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray and was targeting Shinde.

Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel said he would show "Kamra his level" and asked him to apologise.

Sena (UBT) legislator Aaditya Thackeray, however, slammed the vandalism at the show venue, calling it a "cowardly" act.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Saturday that the bulldozer will roll if necessary when asked if perpetrators of violence in Nagpur will face the "Uttar Pradesh style" action.

Addressing the media, he said the government would recover the cost of property damaged during the violence from rioters, and if they failed to compensate, their properties would be seized and sold to recover the losses.

Replying to a query whether "bulldozer action" will be initiated against rioters in Nagpur on the lines of Uttar Pradesh, Fadnavis said, "The Maharashtra government has its own style of working....bulldozer will roll when necessary". "Wherever wrong things are happening, they will be crushed. Nobody (perpetrators) will be spared," he added.

He emphasised that strict action would be taken against those who attacked police officers during the unrest.

Fadnavis stressed that the incident cannot be termed "intelligence failure", but the intelligence (gathering) could have been better. "Police will be alert. We won't tolerate any kind of disturbance". He said 104 individuals have been identified so far, following an analysis of CCTV footage and video recordings. Action has been initiated against 92 people, including 12 minors, as per the law.

The violence erupted on March 17, after rumours spread that a ‘chadar’ with religious inscriptions had been burnt during protests led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) demanding the removal of Aurangzeb’s tomb in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.