The 12 Shiv Sena workers get bail after they were arrested by the Mumbai Police on Monday for ransacking a studio in the city where comedian Kunal Kamra performed a controversial set calling Chief Minister Eknath Shinde a 'traitor'.
A court in Mumbai that granted bail to those 12 Shiv Sena workers have released them on a personal bond of Rs 15,000.
The police had registered a case against 40 Shiv Sena workers for vandalising the Habitat studio in Khar area, where Kamra's show with the "gaddar" (traitor) jibe at Shinde was filmed, and a hotel where the studio is located.
Mumbai police also registered an FIR against Kamra for making defamatory remarks against Shinde.
Several Shiv Sena workers on Sunday night gathered outside Hotel Unicontinental, where the Habitat is located. They allegedly ransacked the studio and the hotel premises, the police said.
What Did Kunal Kamra Say?
During his performance at the Habitat Comedy Club at the Unicontinental hotel in Khar area, Kamra had referred to Shinde as a "traitor" and went on to sing a parody of him.
Kamra used a modified version of a Hindi song from the movie 'Dil Toh Pagal Hai' to describe the 2022 rebellion of Shinde against Uddhav Thackeray.
Reactions
State Congress general secretary Sachin Sawant said in the case where a simple non-cognizable offence can't stand, an FIR is registered and this is "mockery of law".
The police should publish a list of words which cannot be used when criticising the government and it should also declare what is okay for the ruling alliance leaders, Sawant said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray slammed the Shinde-led Sena workers for the vandalism.
“In a recent podcast, PM Modi said that criticism is an essential part of democracy. However, the behaviour of BJP라이브 바카라 ruling alliance partner is contradictory to what Modi said,” Aaditya said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray on Monday said Kamra has not done anything wrong.
“Kamra merely expressed his views. He stated the facts and voiced the public opinion,” Thackeray told reporters at Vidhan Bhawan in south Mumbai.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra should apologise for insulting Deputy CM Eknath Shinde with his remarks, and asserted that "urban Naxals" and "Left liberals" supporting such acts will be taught a lesson.
Talking to reporters in the state legislature complex, Fadnavis said Kamra's action was condemnable.
Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Monday said no one should violate the law and the Constitution, and must keep a check on what they say.
Meanwhile, Habitat Studio, the performance and event venue in Mumbai, announced that they were shutting down after Shiv Sena's workers vandalised its premises over Kamra's alleged defamatory remarks against Shinde during a show.
In an Instagram post on Monday, the studio said: "We are shocked, worried and extremely broken by the recent acts of vandalism targeting us."
