Mumbai: The BMC, a municipal corporation in Mumbai, on Monday carried out a demolition drive at Unicontinental Studio in Khar, Mumbai, where comedian Kunal Kamra’s show was recorded.
The officials arrived with hammers following controversy over Kamra’s remarks allegedly calling Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde a “traitor” and mocking his political career. However, he did not name him directly.
Earlier in the day, Mumbai Police arrested 11 members of Yuva Sena, the youth faction of the Shinde-led Shiv Sena, for vandalising The Habitat comedy venue.
The attack came after a video from Kamra’s 45-minute show, Naya Bharat, went viral on YouTube.
In response, The Habitat issued a statement on Instagram, expressing shock and concern over the vandalism. “Artists are solely responsible for their views and creative choices. We have never been involved in their content, yet we are repeatedly blamed and targeted,” it read. The venue announced a temporary shutdown to reassess how it can support free expression while ensuring safety.
Police have registered an FIR against 35-40 Sena activists and detained a few. The Khar police also recorded statements from the studio operators as part of an ongoing investigation into comedian Samay Raina and podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, following allegations of an objectionable joke on Raina’s show.
