The Mumbai police has issued summons to comedian Kunal Kamra over his alleged derogatory ‘jokes’ targeting Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Cops reportedly visited the comedian’s house in Mumbai and handed over summons to his parents.
Police personnel from Khar police station visited Kamra’s residence in Mumbai and reportedly handed over the summons, asking him to appear for questioning regarding the probe into his performance against Shinde. Kamra was reportedly not present at his home and police have also sent the summons to Kamra’s WhatsApp also. "We have issued an initial notice to Kamra as a probe has been started into the case against him," police told PTI.
Comedian Kunal Kamra issued a statement after the backlash that erupted as a result of his remarks on Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde. pic.twitter.com/LKfqDgHXEu
— ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2025
Police have registered a case against the 36-year-old stand-up comedian based on the complaint of Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel, for allegedly making defamatory remarks against the deputy chief minister. Kamra, during his recent performance at Mumbai, performed a parody of a popular Hindi song from the film "Dil Toh Pagal Hai," and referred to Shinde as a "gaddar" (traitor). He also performed jokes about recent political developments in Maharashtra.
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Eknath Shinde reacted on the controversy for the first time on Monday and said he will not apologise for his performance. “Freedom of expression is fine, but if you are going to misuse it, then it becomes tyranny. Look at what he said about the Chief Justice, the Prime Minister, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and many other industrialists. This is not freedom of expression. I have not spoken on this all day and I will not speak again,” he said.
However, Kamra refused to apologise for his performance. “I will not apologise. What I said is exactly what Mr Ajit Pawar (1st deputy CM) said about Mr Eknath Shinde (2nd Deputy CM). I don't fear this mob & I will not be hiding under my bed, waiting for this to die down,” he tweeted.
