Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra issued his first statement on Monday evening after his 'traitor' jibe at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during a recent comedy show. He also created a song mocking Shinde using the tune of Dil Toh Pagal Hai. Following this, Shiv Sena workers vandalised Habitat Studio and Hotel Unicontinental on Sunday in Mumbai's Khar area, where Kamra had performed the set.
In his statement, the 36-year-old comedian slammed the mob for vandalizing the studio and refused to apologise, stating that it is "not against the law to poke fun at leaders and the circus that is the political system."
He added, "Will the law be fairly and equally deployed against those who have decided that vandalism is the appropriate response to being offended by a joke? And against the unelected members of the BMC, who have arrived today at Habitat, without prior notice, and tore the place down with hammers? Perhaps for my next venue, I will opt for Elphinstone bridge, or any other structure in Mumbai that's in need of speedy demolition."
Check out Kunal Kamra's statement:
Kamra added, "I don't fear this mob & I will not be hiding under my bed, waiting for this to die down," calling the vandalism of the venue 'senseless,' comparing it to "overturning a lorry carrying tomatoes because you didn't like the butter chicken you were served."
Earlier on Monday, Habitat Studio announced they were shutting down after Shiv Sena workers vandalised the premises. Expressing shock, the studio stated that artists are solely responsible for their views and creative choices, and it has never been involved in the content performed by any artist.
"The recent events have made us rethink about how we get blamed and targeted every time almost like we are the proxy for the performance," wrote the studio in their statement.
