NEW DELHI: Shiv Sena workers pasted Kunal Kamra‘s photograph outside an Indore public toilet on Tuesday after the stand-up comedian criticised Maharashtra deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde at a Mumbai comedy event.
At his Habitat Comedy Club performance in Mumbai, Kamra discussed Maharashtra’s political situation.
A widely shared video on X captured Kamra’s veiled criticism of Shinde’s revolt against Uddhav Thackeray and subsequent political events.
“Shiv Sena first came out of the BJP, then Shiv Sena came out of Shiv Sena. NCP came out of NCP, they gave nine buttons to one voter.Eeveryone got confused,” Kamra said.
In his act, Kamra performed a satirical song referencing Thane—Shinde’s political stronghold—referring to him as a “gaddar” without specifically mentioning his name. The video, which Kamra shared went viral.
Shiv Sena members vandalised the Habitat Comedy Club
Following the emergence of the video, members of the Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) damaged the Habitat Comedy Club in Khar, the venue where Kamra had recorded his performance.
According to reports, the party workers destroyed property and issued threats of additional consequences if Kamra persisted with his critical remarks.
The local law enforcement confirmed the occurrence and has initiated an investigation into the property damage.
Political leaders’ reactions
The Shiv Sena leader also issued a sharp warning to Kamra, saying “people are searching for him, but we have come to know that he is not in Mumbai and has probably fled from here. We will not leave him until he apologises”.
“In the name of stand-up comedy, he has made a very low-level comment on our supreme leader, Eknath Shinde. The place where this show was recorded and the booking money for it came from Matoshree, from Uddhav Thackeray, and that is why Eknath Shinde Sahab has been targeted,” Nirupam claimed.
Sanjay Raut, Shiv Sena UBT MP, publicly backed Kamra by sharing the comedian’s video and wrote, “Kunal ki kamal, Jai Maharashtra,” on X.
Priyanka Chaturvedi, Shiv Sena UBT MP, also supported Kamra, referencing Voltaire in her defense of free speech. “Dear Kunal, stand strong. The man and the gang you exposed will go after you… I will defend to death your right to speak your mind,” she posted on X.
