During the ongoing controversy surrounding Kunal Kamra's "traitor" comments about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, a purported phone call between stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra and Shiv (Shinde) Sena members has gone viral on social media, allegedly involving a Shiv Sena member threatening the stand-up performer.
Congress leader Supriya Srinate shared a 53-second audio recording on X in which the party worker is heard threatening and mistreating Kamra, claiming that he would suffer the same fate as the Habitat studio in Khar, Mumbai, where his most recent performance was shot and recorded.
A Shiv Sena worker can be heard threatening Kamra to thrash him “wherever he’s found"
This comes after Kamra took a swipe at Shinde in a show, calling him a "traitor" for his 2022 rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray, which led to the downfall of the MVA government in the state. Shinde later became the chief minister in the Mahayuti government that same year.
Shiv Sena workers vandalized the venue where Kamra’s show was recorded in protest of his remarks. 12 party leaders were arrested but were granted bail later on Monday.
The viral audio clip shared by Shrinate appears to be a conversation in Hindi between Kamra and a Shiv Sena worker. However, the authenticity of the audio has not been independently verified.
In the audio clip, the alleged worker is heard saying, “We’ve seen the video. Go take a look at what we did to the venue (of the show), we’ll do the same to you wherever we find you."
“Where do you live?” he asks.
“Tamil Nadu,” Kamra responds.
“We’ll beat you in Tamil Nadu,” the worker threatens.
A case has been filed against Kamra by the police after Shiv Sena lodged a complaint.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that Kamra should apologize for his comments.
“A legal action will be taken according to the law, Kunal Kamra should apologise. Eknath Shinde ji has been insulted, and an attempt has been made to do so. This will not be tolerated. The elections have proven who the traitors are. No stand-up comedian should have the right to call such a big leader a traitor," Fadnavis said.
“There is freedom to do stand-up comedy, but he cannot speak whatever he wants. The people of Maharashtra have decided who the traitor is. Kunal Kamra should apologise. This will not be tolerated," he added.
Meanwhile, Kamra has reportedly informed the Mumbai Police that he will not apologize for his comments about Eknath Shinde unless instructed by the court. However, he stated that he would comply with the law.
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