Kunal Kamra skips third summons from Khar police

MUMBAI: Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra failed to appear at the Khar police station in the third summons issued to him. The Khar police had asked him to join the probe in the “traitor” remark controversy by April 5.

Kamra has secured interim anticipatory bail in the matter till April 7 from the Madras high court, which provides temporary protection from arrest in a jurisdiction different from the one where the FIR has been filed.

On March 24, the Khar police registered a case against Kamra on a complaint by Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel in connection with his show ‘Naya Bharat’, where, in the course of a satirical song, he tangentially referred to chief minister Eknath Shinde as a ‘gaddar’ or traitor. After a video of the show was released on social media and immediately became wildly popular, Shiv Sainiks vandalised ‘The Habitat’ in Khan where Kamra’s show was held and subsequently issued threats to him over the phone. They also held protests across the state while Shiv Sena MLAs raked up the matter during the budget session of the state legislature.

The cases against the satirist have been registered under Sections 353 (statements conducing to public mischief) and 356 (2) (defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

The ‘gaddar’ song enmeshed the stand-up comic, who lives in Tamil Nadu, in a huge political controversy, since it was clearly aimed at Shinde, whose 2022 rebellion against the then chief minister Uddhav Thackeray led to a split in the party and the collapse of the latter’s government. Kamra himself subsequently pointed out that Shinde had been referred to as a gaddar by numerous people, including his ally, deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar of the NCP, when he was part of the opposition.

Rahool Kanal, Shiv Sena leader and social media in-charge also wrote to platform BookMyShow saying, “It has come to my notice that BookMyShow has previously facilitated ticket sales for shows featuring Mr Kunal Kamra, an individual with a documented history of habitual criminal behaviour. Mr Kamra has been observed to engage in a sustained campaign of vilification and defamation, targeting the Prime Minister of India, Chief Ministers, Deputy Chief Ministers, and other public figures. These actions appear to be part of a broader criminal conspiracy, driven by ulterior motives that extend far beyond the realm of humour or satire.”

The letter further stated Kamra’s “premeditated, scripted, provocative, and malicious statements” had “consistently crossed ethical and legal boundaries”. Kanal claimed that these “hurt the sentiments of the public at large and had the potential to incite public mischief and disrupt social harmony”. “By providing a platform for his performances, BookMyShow inadvertently lends credibility and reach to an individual whose actions threaten public order, particularly in a vibrant and diverse city like Mumbai, where your company is headquartered,” said the letter.

After Shiv Sena leaders claimed that the BookMyShow platform had removed Kamra from its list of artistes and sales listings, Kamra, tweeted, tagging BookMyShow, “Hello @bookmyshow, can you please confirm if I have your platform to list my shows if not it’s fine. I understand….” (sic)

A BookMyShow spokesperson denied the allegation and told HT that Kamra had no shows currently going on and it had not banned him from any listings.