After the news of a banker, who had attended Kunal Kamra's controversial show in Mumbai, having had to cut his vacation to Kerala and Tamil Nadu short after receiving summons from the Mumbai Police went viral, the police on Wednesday said that the banker was later informed that his presence was not required immediately.
On Tuesday, the police had denied reports that members of the audience who had attended Kunal Kamra's show had been summoned to record their statements.
According to news agency PTI, an FIR was registered against Kamra for alleged defamation at the Khar police station on March 28 on a complaint lodged by Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel. The banker was asked to be present as the police wanted to record statements of witnesses, a senior official said. Before sending him a notice, the investigating officer had called the banker and asked him to visit the Khar police station, the official added.
But later, after certain developments in the case, the police called the banker again and told him that his appearance was not required immediately, the officer said, adding he could be called whenever his statement was necessary.
The banker, however, presented a different story. Speaking to the Times of India, he said, "I had left Mumbai on March 21 for the trip and was supposed to return on April 6. But I returned midway after repeated calls from the police while I was in Tamil Nadu. The officer who called me was skeptical about my out-my-town status and threatened to visit my Kharghar residence. This prompted me to cut short my trip and return early."
He added, "Despite me saying that I had booked a ticket for the show online and that I had proof of booking, the cops said I might have edited the video Kamra has recorded. Why will the comedian hand over his show's video to me (for editing)?"
Meanwhile, Kamra offered to plan a trip for the banker and said he was "deeply sorry" for the inconvenience.
"I am deeply sorry for the inconvenience that attending my show has caused to you. Please email me so that I can schedule your next vacation anywhere you’d like in India," the comedian wrote on X.
The Kamra-Shinde case stems from a parody song performed by Kamra at a show in Mumbai which appeared to target Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena following his rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray, and call him a traitor. The song, though, did not name Shinde.
Angry Shiv Sena activists last month vandalised the studio where the show had been recorded.
(With inputs from PTI)
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