Right-wing leader booked over ‘cancelled’ Kunal Kamra Bengaluru show claims

Gowda claimed the police assured the organisations that appropriate action would be taken against the organisers and the comedian, and that the show would be cancelled.

Whitefield Police booked Gowda, citing his X post, which read: “HUGE VICTORY FOR HINDU UNITY – Bengaluru comedy show of Kunal Kamra… CANCELLED. After facing strong opposition from Hindus in Whitefield, controversial comedian @kunalkama88 has shifted his show to Koramangala.”

According to the police, Gowda’s posts and video had the potential to spread rumours and create public confusion.

“He posted a video claiming that the show had been cancelled and shifted because of pressure from the organisation. There was no such pressure. The organisers themselves decided to change the venue. The show was shifted; it was not cancelled,” a senior police officer said.

The police said Kamra and the organisers visited the Whitefield Police Station before the scheduled performance after objections were raised by members of Hindu organisations. Following discussions with the police, the organisers shifted the venue of the performance from Whitefield to Koramangala.

The police further confirmed Gowda appeared before the investigating officer for questioning and gave his statement.

Organisation condemned FIR

Meanwhile, Hindu Rashtra Samanvaya Samithi has condemned the police action against Gowda, terming it “an attack on democracy and freedom of expression.”

The organisation said submitting a peaceful representation to the police seeking cancellation of a programme was a constitutional right and that expressing objections to an event in the public interest could not be treated as a criminal offence.

It argued that Gowda’s social media posts merely informed the public about the representation submitted to the police and subsequent developments, and treating them as “false information” or “rumours”, while registering a non-bailable case, amounted to an unwarranted restriction on freedom of expression.