Indian stand-up comic sets off free speech debate with parody song

raoseanorth March 26, 2025

The police sat outside a habitat outside a studio, Kunal Kamra, a standing comedian, followed by a show that was ransacked by Eknath Shinde, deputy chief minister of Maharashtra, India, in Mumbai, India.

Kamra’s songs angered the workers at Shinde Hardline nationalist Shiv Sena’s party.
The media said Kamra refused to appear in the police capital.
Shinde doesn’t support violence, adding that Kamra’s jokes are not good.

Mumbai: Indian stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra faces police scrutiny to criticize Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s main politicians and allies, concerns about the world’s largest democratic freedom of speech restrictions Vandenin.

The violence that followed has sparked comments on social media and prime time, even as Kamra refuses to apologize for the term “traitor” mentioned by India’s richest country Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

“I’m not afraid of this mob, I’m not hiding under my bed and waiting for this to disappear,” Kamra, a well-known critic of Modi, said in a statement Monday.

Kamra’s parody song about the traitor did not identify anyone, but instead angered Shinde’s Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena’s party workers, who ransacked the performance scene and complained to the police, whose actions defamed the leader.

The media said Kamra refused to appear before police in the financial capital of Mumbai on the grounds that party members threatened him for death and sought a week.

Police handling the investigation did not respond Reuters Call for comment.

Reuters Unable to arrive at Shinde immediately to leave a comment.

The general vision of the blackening sign of the habitat, the studio was a show performed by standing comedian Kunal Kamra, which was subsequently looted by supporters of Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in Mumbai, India, India, March 26, 2025, March 26, 2025.

Shinde stands out among Shiv Sena, a long-time ally of the Bharatiya Janata party ruled by Modi.

His supporters ransacked the habitat studio in Khar, a northwestern suburb of Mumbai, where Kamra performed, forcing it to temporarily lower the shutters.

About twelve police officers blocked the studio on Wednesday, with signs blocked.

Shinde became chief minister of the western state of Maharashtra in 2022, helping to put it behind Modi’s control after the party’s uprising when he broke up with the BJP. He played the role of vice-chairman in later administration.

Supporters inferred his identity from the attributes mentioned in Kamra’s song.

Many BJP MPs warned against abuse of freedom of speech.

The police sat outside the habitat, a studio that Kunal Kamra was a stand-up comedian, which was then performed by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde in Mumbai, India, India.

“Your freedom of speech cannot be used to attack others in person,” said Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous in India who supports Shinde.

But Kamra has gained support on social media and elsewhere, recording over 6 million views for YouTube videos and gaining more than 58,000 comments in two days.

Many viewers donated money to him in support of his speechless posture.

Kamra is no stranger to the controversy, facing several criminal cases in 2020, and even banning a six-month airline ban in 2020 after he mocked a BJP reporter close to the plane.

As stand-up comedy became more popular among urban-educated Indians, its ridicule caused complaints from hardline groups.

Last month, the Supreme Court ordered India’s top podcasts to stop performing until a few days after he was accused of obscene appearances.