Kunal Kamra Refuses To Apologise After His 'Traitor' Jibe At Eknath Shinde, Says 'I Don’t Fear This Mob'

Comedian Kunal Kamra, who launched an attack on Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in the garb of comedy, has issued a statement. He took to his social media handle to address the vandalism at Habitat Studio and refused to apologise that he won't bow down to the mob trying to threaten him.

Kunal Kamra's note to the mob and political leaders threatening to teach the comedian a lesson

Taking to his Instagram handle, Kunal penned a lengthy statement addressing all the issues since the controversy erupted. The first note is penned to the mob that decided to vandalise Habitat Studio, where he shot his controversial stand-up act Naya Bharat. He wrote, "An entertainment venue is merely a platform. A space for all sorts of shows. Habitat (or any other venue) is not responsible for my comedy, nor does it have any power or control over what I say or do. Neither does any political party. Attacking a venue for a comedian's words is as senseless as overturning a lorry carrying tomatoes because you didn't like the butter chicken you were served."

The next slide is penned to political leaders threatening Kunal Kamra. “Our right to freedom of speech and expression is not only to be used to fawn over the powerful and rich even though today’s media would have us believe otherwise. Your inability to take a joke at the expense of a powerful public figure does not change the nature of my right,” reads the statement. Adding to it, he said that poking fun at leaders and the political system is not against the law.

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The Habitat temporarily shuts down after Kunal Kamra controversy

On Monday, the official Instagram handle of Habitat informed the fans that they have decided to temporarily shut down the studio till they figure out the "best way to provide a platform for free expression without putting ourselves and our property in jeopardy". In a lengthy statement, they shared being "extremely broken" by the recent events of vandalism and stated that artists are solely responsible for their views and creative choices.

They further invited all artists, audiences and stakeholders to discuss and share their views and requested their guidance to respect the performer's rights. The statement concludes by saying, "Violence and destruction undermine the very spirit of art and dialogue.

What did Kunal Kamra say about Eknath Shinde during the stand-up act Naya Bharat?

During his show, Kunal discussed Maharastra politics and jibed at Shinde for switching sides. “Meri nazar se tum dekho to gaddar nazar wo aaye. Haaye!" was a line from his act. He was seemingly referring to the split of the Shiv Sena faction into two - the Shinde faction and the Uddhav Thackeray faction.

This didn't go down well with the members of Shiv Sena. They vandalised the studio to express their displeasure and anger. Following this on early Monday, Mumbai Police lodged an FIR against the comedian for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Shinde during a show, an official said. The complaint was registered under various Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) actions, including 353(1)(b) (statements conducing to public mischief) and 356(2) (defamation), an official from MIDC police station said.

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