#News Bureau March 24,2025
Mumbai’s Habitat Studio was the victim of stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra’s sarcasm. Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) employees arrived on Monday afternoon to demolish a part of it. Kunal had done just one show, in which he took a dig at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. He also sang a song in which the word traitor was used. On this, people of Shinde’s faction of Shiv Sena first vandalized the studios on Sunday evening. But on Monday, BMC also took action. Despite the Supreme Court’s guidelines, the use of bulldozers continues in Maharashtra. The incidents of Nagpur and Mumbai are very recent.
Sources said that on Monday morning, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik spoke to BMC Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani, who directed the employees of H West Ward to inspect it. According to officials, the studio’s premises are in an encroached area between two hotels. Assistant Commissioner Vinayak Vispute said, “The studio owner has built some temporary illegal sheds, which we are removing now. No notice is required for this.” Vispute also mentioned that further investigation is being done. Further action will be taken after that.
Opposition parties are linking the BMC’s action to the statement of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that “Everyone has the right to do stand-up comedy. But freedom should not mean uncontrolled behavior. Kamra should apologize for his behavior. Insulting leaders cannot be tolerated.” The second bulldozer action in Maharashtra took place in Nagpur. There, a bulldozer was run on the house of Faheem Shamim Khan, an alleged accused in the Nagpur violence. Chief Minister Fadnavis had hinted at bulldozer action against the accused in this case as well.
The controversy started when Kunal Kamra, known for his sharp criticism of the ruling dispensation, parodied a popular Hindi song to depict Shinde’s rebellion against his former boss Uddhav Thackeray in 2022. A clip from his recent show shared by Kamra showed him singing a spoof of a song from the Bollywood film “Dil Toh Pagal Hai”, which referred to “a leader from Thane”. He commented on Shinde’s physique and his equation with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. However, Kamra did not explicitly name Shinde in the clip.
Hours after the controversy, the comedian responded with a brief four-word post. Kamra wrote on the X – “The only way forward”, along with a photo of himself holding a copy of the Constitution.
Kunal Kamra’s video stirred up a huge controversy and soon chaos ensued. Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) leaders were angered by Kamra’s comments and on Sunday they vandalised a studio and Unicontinental hotel in Mumbai’s Khar area. They claimed that the video was shot at the same location.
All this is happening when the Supreme Court had issued clear guidelines to ban the use of bulldozers. The Supreme Court had clearly said that a notice must be given 15 days before demolishing the illegal construction. But this was violated in Kunal Kamra’s case. The Supreme Court had also directed that the person doing the illegal construction should be given the first chance to demolish it himself. If the instructions are not followed, the officials will have to bear the cost of re-construction. Still, the continuation of such action in Maharashtra raises the question whether the rules are actually being followed. Criticism not tolerated
After opposition leader Ambadas Danve criticised the ruling BJP over the “deteriorating law and order” in the state following the Habitat studios vandalism, Maharashtra Industry Minister Uday Samant hit back at the opposition, saying “Kamra had joined the Bharat Jodo Yatra led by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. What does it mean when the same Kamra insults our leader? Kamra has insulted PM Narendra Modi, senior industrialists like Anand Mahindra and even the Supreme Court in his video. “If Kamra makes similar comments (targeting Shinde) against Danve or Uddhav Thackeray, we will set aside our political differences and defend you,” Samant said.
Maharashtra Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik on Monday said that the FIR lodged against Kunal Kamra at MIDC police station has been transferred to Khar police station. He said, “I met senior police officials and inquired about the investigation. Kamra is not in Maharashtra. He has gone to Pondicherry. Police teams are coordinating with the police in Pondicherry to trace Kamra and take him into custody. I have demanded that Kamra be arrested immediately and brought to Mumbai.”
Meanwhile, 11 Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) workers, including Rahul Kanal, were arrested on charges of vandalism. But minor sections have been imposed on them. On the other hand, these same people have lodged two FIRs against Kunal Kamra.
