Today News 24 Janajagruti Samiti on Monday claimed comedian Vir Das’ show ‘hurts religious sentimes of Hindu(s)’ and has demanded police to cancel a show planned in Benglauru on November 10. In a complaint filed at the city’s Vyalikaval Police Station, the fringe group wrote, “… it is not right to allow such a controversial person to hold such a program in a communally sensitive area like Bangalore. When Karnataka is already facing many law-and-order problems due to communal incidents, such events could vitiate law-and-order and should not be allowed. We demand this program be canceled immediately.”
The group also referred to Das’ controversial ‘two Indias’ quip at a show in the United States in November last year; “… earlier he made derogatory statements against women, our prime minister and India at John F Kennedy Center in Washington D.C…. denigrated the nation.”
“He had said ‘In India, we worship women in the day and rape them at night’… case was registered by Mumbai (and) Delhi Police. It is a serious offense…” the group ranted.
Neither Das nor the show’s organisers have responded at the time this report was published.
In August police in Bengaluru stopped a show by another controversial comedian – Munawar Faruqui. Officially, the show was cancelled because the organisers failed to get permission.
However, Faruqui later said it was cancelled for health reasons.
Bengaluru police also cancelled a show by Faruqui in November last year; that was after threats by right-wing groups. Reports said the police issued a letter requesting it be scrapped as Faruqui would speak ‘against communities’ and leave the show vulnerable to vandalism.
At that time Faruqui – arrested in January during a show in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore over alleged hate speech during one of his shows – hinted he would quit stand-up.
Also in August, Das shared a clip on Instagram in which he joked about comedians in India getting penalised for ‘hurting sentiments’.
