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Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra has expressed deep regret following reports that a banker who attended his controversial show had to cut short his vacation due to police questioning. Kamra apologized for the inconvenience caused and extended an offer to the banker, inviting him to contact him so that he could plan a vacation anywhere in India for him.
Kamra took to social media to express his regret, saying, “I am deeply sorry for the inconvenience that attending my show has caused to you. Please email me so that I can schedule your next vacation anywhere you’d like in India.”
The banker, who hails from Kharghar in Navi Mumbai, was on a 17-day trip to Tamil Nadu and Kerala when he received a call from Mumbai Police, asking him to appear for questioning on March 30. The questioning was in connection with a defamation case against Kamra regarding jokes made about Shiv Sena leader and Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during his show.
The banker, who had planned to return from his vacation on April 6, was asked to cut his trip short after receiving repeated calls from the police while he was in Tamil Nadu. The officer who contacted him expressed doubt over his whereabouts and threatened to visit his residence in Kharghar if he did not comply. In response, the banker ended his vacation early and returned home.
Despite explaining that he had purchased a ticket for the show online and had proof of booking, the banker said the police officer suggested that he might have edited the video Kamra had recorded. “Why would the comedian hand over his show’s video to me for editing?” the banker questioned.
The Mumbai Police, however, clarified that no notices had been issued to those who attended Kamra’s show, Naya Bharat, at the Habitat studio in Mumbai.
The controversy surrounding Kamra’s show, which aired on YouTube on March 24, has stirred significant backlash. The show featured a parody of the popular song Bholi Si Surat, mocking Eknath Shinde. This provoked an angry response from Shinde’s supporters, who vandalized the studio in Khar. The studio also faced a demolition drive by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) for alleged building law violations, although the timing of the demolition has raised suspicions.
In response to the show, three police cases have been filed against Kamra. He has been granted interim protection from arrest by the Madras High Court. The situation has ignited a political debate, with the Opposition accusing the NDA government of curbing freedom of speech, while the Devendra Fadnavis-led state government has defended its actions, arguing that recklessness under the guise of free speech would not be tolerated.
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