In Maharashtra, comedian Kunal Kamra has been the subject of three further formal complaints for allegedly disparaging Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Kamra had deliberately stirred up controversy by calling Shinde a “gaddar (traitor).”
According to a police source who spoke to the news agency, the new charges were filed in various locations throughout Maharashtra and were moved to the Khar police station on Friday for additional investigation. Due to Kamra’s remark against Shinde, the Khar police station has already opened a criminal defamation case against him and sent two summonses requesting that Kamra cooperate with the investigation. The police turned down Kamra’s plea for a week.
The comedian was successful in getting the Madras High Court to grant him temporary anticipatory relief through April 7 on Friday. The first FIR against Kamra was filed based on a complaint lodged by Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel. Members of the Shiv Sena, Mayur Borse from Manmad, Nashik; Sanjay Bhujbal from Jalgaon Jamod, Buldhana; and Sunil Jadhav from Nandgaon Manmad, Nashik, also submitted the three additional FIRs.
Despite Shinde’s position as Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister, Kamra allegedly “defamed the moral conduct” of Shinde, according to the party workers’ FIRs. “He also created hatred between the two political parties by making derogatory statements,” the FIRs have stated.
According to a police officer, the new FIRs have also been filed under a number of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita laws, such as 353(1)(b), 353(2) (statements conducing to public mischief), and 356(2) (defamation). The comedian may soon receive new summonses from the Mumbai police in the new cases, as Kamra was granted relief by the Madras High Court in the first case.
After the footage of Kamra’s February stand-up comedy performance, “Naya Bharat,” at the Habitat Studio in the Hotel Unicontinental in Khar was posted to YouTube last Saturday, a dispute erupted.
On social media and his YouTube page, Kamra posted a snippet from the performance. Employees of the Shiv Sena damaged the studio after the video footage went viral. Twelve Sena employees were then taken into custody when the police filed a suo motu complaint against them. Later, they were freed on bond.
In social media posts, Kamra has declared that he will not retract his comments. He later posted further videos on his social media accounts in which he criticized the ministers and the government.
