Mumbai, March 24: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has launched a demolition drive at the Habitat Comedy Club, the venue where stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra made his controversial "traitor" comment about Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. This action follows a protest by Shiv Sena workers, who vandalized the venue in response to Kamra's remarks, directed at Shinde, the leader of their party.
Images from the scene outside the Habitat Comedy Club, located at the Unicontinental Hotel in Khar, show BMC officials entering the building with gas cutters and hammers in tow. The sound of hammers was soon audible, signaling the commencement of the demolition.
Earlier today, the police arrested Shiv Sena functionary Rahul Kanal, along with 11 other individuals, for their involvement in the ransacking of Kamra’s show venue, according to an official statement.
The controversy stems from Kamra's performance at the Habitat Comedy Club, where he referred to Shinde as a "traitor" and performed a parody about him. Kamra used a modified version of a song from the 1997 film Dil Toh Pagal Hai to humorously address the 2022 rebellion led by Shinde against Uddhav Thackeray’s leadership.
Rahul Kanal, a Shiv Sena member, defended the actions of the party's workers, emphasizing respect and the targeting of individuals who insult respected leaders. "This isn’t about taking the law into our own hands, it's about self-respect," Kanal stated on Monday. He added, "When people, especially our elders, are targeted, we will respond accordingly." Kanal also issued a warning to Kamra, saying, "This is just a trailer, the real picture is yet to come. Whenever you are in Mumbai, you will learn a lesson in Shiv Sena's style."
