Kunal Kamra row: Shiv Sena functionary, 11 others get bail

Shiv Sena functionary Rahul Kanal and 11 others, arrested by the Mumbai Police for allegedly ransacking the show venue at Khar where comedian Kunal Kamra`s show was held, were on Monday granted bail, the officials said on Monday, according to the PTI.

Police had earlier on Monday arrested Kanal and 11 others for ransacking the venue at a Mumbai hotel where stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra made the controversial `traitor` jibe against Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Hours later, a magistrate`s court granted bail to all of them.

During his performance at the Habitat Comedy Club at the Unicontinental hotel in Khar area, Kamra had referred to Eknath Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena, as a “traitor” and went on to sing a parody of him, as per the PTI.

A video of the show was posted online.

Enraged over the comments, Shiv Sena workers led by Rahul Kanal ransacked the venue of Kunal Kamra`s show on Sunday, as per the PTI.

The Khar police have identified 19 people and named them in the FIR filed in connection with the incident. Also, 15 to 20 persons involved in the ransacking of the venue remain unidentified.

Police arrested 12 people, including Rahul Kanal — all affiliated to the Shinde-led Sena — earlier in the day and produced them before the magistrate`s court in Bandra.

The court remanded the accused to 14-day judicial custody following which they applied for bail. The magistrate allowed their plea and released them on a cash bond of Rs 15,000, reported the PTI.

According to the police, Kunal Kamra used a modified version of a Hindi song from the 1997 movie `Dil Toh Pagal Hai` to mock Shinde over his 2022 rebellion against then-Chief Minister and Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray.

Meanwhile, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Zone 9) Dixit Gedam said two separate offences were registered at the Khar police station — one against Kamra over his comments and the other against vandals.

“It is not about taking any law in your hands. It is purely about your self-respect. When it comes to elders or respectable citizens of the country when your elders are targeted, you will target someone of that mentality, Rahul Kanal told reporters before his arrest, according to the PTI.

“Abhi tak toh ye trailer hai, picture abhi baki hai. Whenever you are in Mumbai, you will get a good lesson in Shiv Sena style,” the Shiv Sena functionary warned Kamra, as per the PTI.

Rahul Kanal said that they had told the owner (of Habitat set) that there had been six FIRs against the place (over hosting controversial shows), the news agency reported.

(with PTI inputs)