FIR over remarks against Shinde: Police to issue soon issue second summon to Kamra for questioning

On behalf of him, his father was served a copy of the police notice at his Mahim residence, as his phone was unreachable. But, Kamra did not show up and, through his lawyer, requested police to grant him a week’s time as he is out of Mumbai for work, police sources said.

Kamra was booked under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including 353(1)(b), 353(2) (statements conducing to public mischief), and 356(2) (defamation). The MIDC Police Station lodged the First Information Report against Kamra as a Zero FIR based on a complaint lodged by Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel.

Later, they transferred the Zero FIR to Khar Police Station.

“Kunal Kamra, during a stand-up comedy show at Continental Hotel, Khar, defamed our leader Eknath Shinde ji by making derogatory statements about his moral conduct. He also created hatred between the two political parties by tarnishing the sentiments of our party and our rival political parties towards each other,” Patel said in the complaint.

Kamra had posted the 2.01-minute video clip from the stand-up show on X and Instagram Sunday night, and it was shared widely later. The viral clip is part of a 45-minute video titled ‘Naya Bharat’ that Kamra uploaded on Sunday on his YouTube channel.

After the video clip of the remark went viral, nearly three dozen supporters of the Shiv Sena ransacked The Habitat studio, at the Unicontinental hotel in Khar where Kamra recorded the show, early Sunday.

The police registered a suo-moto case against the Sena workers for vandalising the studio, and subsequently arrested them. They were released on bail by the magistrate court later in the evening.

Statement by Kamra

In a statement on his social media accounts, Kamra said he is “willing to co-operate with the police and courts for any lawful action taken against me”.

“But 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,” Kamra said in the statement.

He added, “I will not apologise. What I said is exactly what Mr Ajit Pawar (1st deputy CM) said about Mr Eknath Shinde (2nd Deputy CM). I don’t fear this mob & I will not be hiding under my bed, waiting for this to die down.”