A mob ransacked a club in India's financial capital after a stand-up comedian ridiculed one of the city's leading politicians from the stage, prompting a police investigation into the performer, reported AFP.
Kunal Kamra, one of India's leading comics, is known for his acerbic commentary on Indian politics. His Sunday performance in Mumbai included a parody song referring to Eknath Shinde, the number two figure in the state government, as a "traitor".
Soon after the show finished, supporters from Shinde's Shiv Sena party stormed The Habitat comedy venue and began wreaking havoc.
Footage widely shared on social media showed dozens of men throwing chairs, smashing light fittings and breaking apart paintings mounted on the wall.
At least 20 people were being sought in relation to the vandalism at the club, local media reported.
The Habitat said in a Monday social media post that it was shutting its doors until it determined the "best way to provide a platform for free expression" without putting the venue "in jeopardy".
Police were attempting to locate Kamra after an official complaint was registered against him for making defamatory remarks.
Maharashtra state chief minister - and Shinde's boss - Devendra Fadnavis said the comedian "should apologise" and that "insult of leaders cannot be tolerated".
"Everyone has a right to perform stand-up comedy. But freedom should not be unrestrained behaviour Action will be taken against him as per the law," The Indian Express quoted him as saying.
The "traitor" remark was a reference to Shinde's decision to switch his political allegiance in 2022, precipitating a weeklong political crisis in the state that forced the resignation of the then-chief minister.
Kamra has yet to publicly comment on the incident, but the backlash against him is not the first time that an Indian comic has come under fire from supporters of politicians.
'Hate won, the artist lost'
In 2021, Muslim comedian Munawar Faruqui was held in prison for more than a month after being accused of insulting Hindu gods and goddesses. He later cancelled three shows in Mumbai after a Hindu activist group threatened to set the venue on fire.
In an Instagram post shared in November 2021, Faruqui announced that, despite selling over 600 tickets, his Bangalore show had been cancelled due to threats of vandalism to the venue.
"A month back, my team called Late Puneeth Rajkumar sir's organisation for charity, which we were going to generate from this show. We agreed not to sell the show in the name of charity, as suggested by the organisation," he wrote.
The comedian was arrested in January that year. During the court hearings, the bail application was opposed on the basis that the gathering where Faruqui was present was organised during the pandemic, reported Indian news agency PTI. After five weeks in prison, a court finally granted him bail.
"Putting me in jail for a joke I never made and cancelling my shows despite there being no unproblematic content is unfair. This show has gained so much love from people in India, irrespective of religion," he wrote. "We have called off 12 shows in the last 2 months because of the threats to the venue and the audience."
Faruqui concluded his note with a farewell to his comic pursuit. "I think this is the end," he wrote, thanking his followers. In the caption, he added, "Hate won, the artist lost. I'm done! Goodbye."
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