
New Delhi: While comedian Kunal Kamra told Mumbai Police through a post on X that it has visited an outdated address in an effort to find him, cops have also been serving notices on people who attended his show as members on the audience.
A first information report was lodged against Kamra at Mumbai over comments he made on Maharashtra’s deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde in his comedy show ‘Naya Bharat’ in the city on February 2. Kamra had not mentioned Shinde by name in his piece. Shinde’s supporters have vandalised various locations including the Habitat Studio where Kamra’s comedy show was held, in retaliation.
Times of India has reported that police have begun recording statements of some of the people who attended the show and have also served notices to audience members.
The notices were served under Section 179 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which authorises police officers to summon witnesses for investigation.
There are already video recordings of the show.
In a post on his official ‘X’ and Instagram handles, Kamra also referred to the police’s home visits, saying that the cops had gone to an address where he had not lived for a decade. He called the effort “a waste of [police] time and public resources.”
Kamra was given interim anticipatory bail by the Madras high court till April 7. He has thus not appeared at the Khar police station in response to three summonses issued to him for March 25, 26 and 31.
‘Outrage’
Today, April 1, Kamra posted on X with a ‘step-by-step’ guide on how to ‘kill’ an artiste.
He wrote:
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Outrage – just enough for brands to stop commissioning their work.
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Outrage more – until private and corporate gigs dry up.
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Outrage louder – so big venues won’t take the risk.
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Outrage violently – until even the smallest spaces shut their doors.
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Summon their audience for questioning –turning art into a crime scene.
He added, “Now the artist is left with only two choices: Sell their soul and become a dollar puppet – or wither in silence. This isn’t just a playbook, it’s a political weapon. A silencing machine.”