Kunal Kamra joke row: Show venue Habitat Studio, attacked by Shiv Sena, shuts down temporarily

Kunal Kamra vs Shiv Sena: Comedian Kunal Kamra’s jokes on  Maharashtra Deputy Chief Eknath Shinde, triggered workers of the party, leading to vandalism of the venue. The show venue, Habitat Studio, is shutting down temporarily following the attacks. 

Meanwhile, Maharashtra MoS Home Yogesh Ramdas Kadam, while rebuking the comedian for his jokes said that necessary action against the attackers will be taken. "The Constitution has provided freedom of speech. It doesn't give you the right to insult those occupying Constitutional positions,” he said, commenting on the jokes, and that “whatever action is required, will be taken”, when it comes to the vandals. 

Meanwhile, the Mumbai police have registered an FIR against stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra for his alleged defamatory remarks on Shinde. The police also filed a case against nearly 40 Shiv Sena workers for allegedly vandalising the Habitat Studio in Mumbai's Khar area, as well as a hotel where the studio is located.

A large number of Shiv Sena workers gathered outside Hotel Unicontinental, where the studio is situated, and allegedly ransacked the studio and hotel premises. The Habitat Studio is known for hosting the controversial 'India's Got Latent' show. 

The MIDC police registered the FIR in the early hours of Monday against Kamra under various Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections, including 353(1)(b) for statements conducing to public mischief and 356(2) for defamation. The video also showed Kamra mocking the ruling NCP and Shiv Sena, and an investigation is underway.

Another FIR was registered by the Khar police against 19 Shiv Sena functionaries, including Rahul Kanal of Yuva Sena, Vibhag Pramukh Kunal Sarmarkar, and Akshay Panvelkar, along with 15 to 20 unidentified persons for allegedly vandalising the studio and ransacking the hotel. Shiv Sainiks entered the premises and caused damage, with the police intervening to stop the chaos. The case against the Shiv Sainiks was filed under various BNS sections for damaging private property and unlawful assembly.

The video of Kamra's jibe at Shinde was also shared on social media by rival Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut. Kamra taunted Shinde with a modified version of a Hindi song, which elicited laughter from the audience. In response, Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske warned Kamra of consequences and alleged that he had accepted money from Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray to target Shinde.

Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel demanded an apology from Kamra, while Sena (UBT) legislator Aaditya Thackeray criticised the vandalism, calling it a "cowardly" act. Thackeray questioned the law and order situation in the state, suggesting that the incident undermined the Chief Minister and Home Minister.