The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Monday demolished structures they claimed were unauthorised at an event space in the city’s Khar locality that had been vandalised by workers of the Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena on Sunday, reported NDTV.

The workers vandalised The Habitat studio after videos of comedian Kunal Kamra performing jokes ostensibly criticising the deputy chief minister and alluding to him as a “traitor” during a performance were circulated online.

Kamra was referring to Shinde’s 2022 rebellion against Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray and the ensuing political crisis in Maharashtra. He did not mention Shinde by name.

On Monday, officials of the city municipal corporation carried out demolitions in the UniContinental Hotel in Khar, where The Habitat is situated, claiming that rules had been violated.

Earlier in the day, representatives of The Habitat said they would close the venue “till we figure out the best way to provide a platform for free expression without putting ourselves and our property in jeopardy”.

They said they were “extremely broken” by the attack. “Artists are solely responsible for their views and creative choices,” the venue management stated.

“We have never been involved in the content performed by any artist, but the recent events have made us rethink about how we get blamed and targeted every time almost like we are a proxy for the performer,” the statement added.

A first information report has also been filed against Kamra based on a complaint by Shinde Sena MLA Murji Patel. The party leader demanded “quick action” against the comedian.

“I want to tell him to apologise to Eknath Shinde within two days otherwise Shiv Sainiks will not let him move about freely in Mumbai,” Patel told ANI. “If he is seen anywhere in public, we will paint his face black... We will take up this issue in the Assembly and request our state’s home minister to order action against him as soon as possible.”

Shinde Sena workers arrested

The Mumbai Police has arrested 12 members of the Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena for vandalising The Habitat, reported The Indian Express.

Quoting unidentified officials of the police, the newspaper reported that 12 persons, including Rahool Kanal, the general secretary of the Shinde Sena’s youth wing, have been arrested.

A total of 19 persons have been booked in connection with the vandalism, including Kanal, Kunal Sarmalkar, Akshay Panvelkar, Govind Padi, Rahul Turbadkar, Vilas Chavari, Amin Sheikh, Sameer Mahapadi, Himanshu, Shashank Kode, Sandeep Malap, Ganesh Rane, Shobha Palve, Krishna Thakur, Pawan Jyot Sethi, Kalpesh, Qureshi Hujef and Chand Sheikh.

The police also booked around 20 unknown persons in the FIR, according to The Indian Express.

They have been charged under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita for the use of criminal force to deter public servants from carrying out their duty (section 132), unlawful assembly and its punishment (sections 189(2), 189(3) and 190), punishment for rioting (section 191(2)), punishment for loss or damage (sections 324(5) and 324(6)), punishment for disobeying a public order (section 223), criminal intimidation (section 351(2)), intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace (section 352), house-trespass with preparations to cause hurt (section 333), acts against which there is no right of private defence (section 37(1)), and use of assault or criminal force (section 135).

Kamra cannot ‘speak whatever he wants’: CM

Speaking to reporters, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that while there is “freedom to do stand-up comedy”, Kamra “cannot speak whatever he wants”, reported ANI.

“The people of Maharashtra have decided who the traitor is,” the chief minister was quoted as saying. “Kunal Kamra should apologise. This will not be tolerated. There is the right to comedy, but if it is being done to defame our deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde purposely, it is not right.”

Fadnavis said that the Constitution allows for freedom of speech but “there are limitations”.

“One may create humour, but making derogatory statements cannot be accepted,” he said. “One cannot encroach on others' freedom and ideology.”

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) chief Uddhav Thackeray said that Kamra “has not done any wrong”.

“Calling a ‘traitor’ a ‘traitor’ is not an attack on anyone,” Thackeray was quoted as saying by ANI.