Mumbai:
Comedian Kunal Kamra has told Mumbai Police he does not regret his ‘gaddar‘, or ‘traitor’, comment, seen as referring to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, sources told NDTV Monday afternoon.
He also said he would only apologise – an apology has been demanded by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who this morning told the Assembly the freedom of expression argument could not extend to “low-level comedy and disrespecting the Deputy Chief Minister” – if told to by the courts.
Police sources further said Mr Kamra – who spoke to the cops from Tamil Nadu – denied rumours he had been paid by the opposition to target Mr Shinde. Sources also said Mr Kamra gave the cops permission to check his finances – to confirm no such payment was received – if needed.
News of the contact with Mr Kamra came shortly after the Mumbai studio that hosted the show was demolished by the city’s civic body, citing an unspecified violation.
This was after the studio was vandalised by Shiv Sena workers Sunday night. Sena workers also burned Mr Kamra’s photo outside a police station in Thane – seen as Mr Shinde’s political stronghold.
READ | Demolition Begins At Kunal Kamra Event Venue After E Shinde Jibe
Videos of the vandalism showed a mob running rampant through the studio, located in Mumbai’s Khar neighbourhood, damaging property and throwing chairs around.
The owners of the studio – Habitat Studio, which also hosted the episode of the ‘India’s Got Latent’ show featuring influencer Ranveer Allahabadia – earlier distanced themselves from Mr Kamra’s comment, arguing they could not be held accountable for comments by performers.
The owners also said they had decided to shut down. “We are shutting down till we figure out the best way to provide a platform for free expression without putting ourselves and our property in jeopardy.”
READ | Comic’s “Common Sense” Post Over Sena’s Mumbai Studio Rampage
The controversy – far from the first with Mr Kamra in the spotlight – broke after he seemed to use the term ‘gaddar‘, or ‘traitor’, to refer to Mr Shinde, a former (undivided) Shiv Sena leader whose rebellion against party boss Uddhav Thackeray in 2022 caused a split and brought down the latter’s government.
READ | On Comedian Kunal Kamra’s E Shinde Joke, D Fadnavis’ Reaction
Mr Shinde’s Sena faction then joined hands with the BJP to form the government.
Outrage by the BJP-led state government has seen multiple police complaints filed against Mr Kamra, including one based on a complaint by Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik.
A police case has also been filed against the studio vandals.
Mr Kamra’s comment has drawn countercriticism from the opposition – particularly the Uddhav Thackeray-led Sena faction. Aaditya Thackeray, his son, labelled Mr Shinde an “insecure coward” and his colleague, Priyanka Chaturvedi pointed out that Mr Kamra had not actually named Mr Shinde.
“Their vandalism shows that it hurt them and that there is truth in the joke. What kind of intolerance is this? If you don’t like something, file a police complaint…” she said.