Comedian Kunal Kamra Booked for Defamatory Remarks Against Eknath Shinde

New Delhi: An FIR has been filed against Comedian Kunal Kamra on Monday over his defamatory and controversial remarks against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde . The complaint has been registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 353(1)(b) (statements conducing to public mischief) and 356(2) (defamation), as per an official from MIDC police station.

The controversy erupted after a video from Kamra’s recent performance at The Habitat Comedy Studio went viral. During his set, the comedian referred to Shinde as a “Gaddar” (traitor), mocking the Deputy CM’s role in the 2022 Shiv Sena rebellion that split the party into factions, PTI reported.

Also read |Kunal Kamra Controversy: What Comedian Said About Eknath Shinde?

Kamra performed a modified version of a popular song from the Bollywood film Dil To Pagal Hai, where he sang, "Meri nazar se tum dekho to gaddar nazar wo aaye. Haaye." His attempt to entertain the audience has drawn sharp criticism, particularly from Shiv Sena party members.

An investigation is underway. 

Shiv Sena Slams Kamra

Following the viral video, Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel lodged an official police complaint, accusing Kamra of defamation. The Shiv Sena has demanded immediate legal action against the comedian, including an arrest. Kamra, on his part, shared the clip on the social media platform X, which quickly spread across the internet.

"We have filed an FIR against Kunal Kamra for his comments against our leader and Maharashtra's DCM Eknath Shinde. We have demanded quick action against him. I want to tell him to apologise to Eknath Shinde within two days otherwise Shiv Sainiks will not let him move about freely in Mumbai. If he is seen anywhere in public, we will paint his face black... We will take up this issue in the assembly and request our state's home minister to order action against him as soon as possible", Murji Patel told ANI on Sunday.

Also read | Comedy Or Calumny? Kunal Kamra’s ‘Gaddar’ Insult At Eknath Shinde Triggers Shiv Sena Fury, Studio Vandalised In Retaliation

Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske warned Kamra, threatening that the comedian would be "chased" by party workers across the country and "forced to flee India." Mhaske, who also accused Kamra of taking money from Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, suggested that the comedian had calculatedly attacked Shinde.

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.

What Is India's Got Latent Row?

Recently, YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia sparked huge controversy for his controversial remarks on Comedian Samay Raina's show 'India's Got Latent'. The episode, which was shot in November, was premiered in January
on YouTube (now deleted). It featured Ranveer, Apoorva Makhija, Ashish Chanchlani, and Jaspreet Singh as guests. During the episode, Ranveer asked one of the contestants "Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once and stop it forever?" While the audience laughed at the question, it didn't go down well with netizens when it went viral.

A video of his "dark joke" caused a massive stir on social media, with people criticizing him and urging others to unfollow or unsubscribe from Allahbadia and Samay Raina.

However, Allahbadia later issued an apology for his remark.