Comedian Kiku Sharda was arrested in Haryana on Wednesday for mimicking the head of spiritual group Dera Sacha Sauda, Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, ANI reported. Singh, a self-styled guru, has a huge following in Haryana, and is known for wearing controversial costumes, performing in rock shows and acting in movies.

Sharda was charged with hurting the religious sentiments of Singh’s followers in an episode that aired in late December. The comedian apologised for the comments made on television, but said he was only following a script. He told ANI, "If I've hurt anyone's sentiments, I fold my hands and apologise to everyone. Usually, if some objectionable word comes out while performing, it is edited by the channel. This is also channel's responsibility [sic]."

Singh took to Twitter to respond to the matter: