Comedian Daniel Fernandes cancels Hyderabad show following threats from BJP MLA Raja Singh

The comedian is touring with his new stand-up special ‘Do you Know Who I Am?’, scheduled at Heart Cup Coffee in Jubilee Hills on June 29.

Hyderabad: Following threats of violence by Bharatiya Janata Party MLA from Goshamahal, T. Raja Singh, comedian Daniel Fernandes has cancelled his stand-up show in Hyderabad on Saturday.

The comedian is touring with his new stand-up special ‘Do you Know Who I Am?’, scheduled at Heart Cup Coffee in Jubilee Hills on June 29.

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On Saturday, the MLA released a video statement warning that the comedian will have to face dire concequences if he shows up in Hyderabad to perform his show. “It is better you cancel the show or else our karyakartas will come there and thrash you. You will think 50 times before coming to Telangana,” said Singh in the video.

The controversy erupted over Fernandes’ remarks concerning a recent incident where members of the Jain community dressed as Muslims to protest the sale of goats for Bakrid. However, following the baclash for the video, the comedian has issued an apology on his Instagram account recently.

Recalling the tensions created in Hyderabad two years ago around comedian, when Munawar Farooqui, Singh said: “You remember when Munawar came to perform, right? I want to make it clear that, if this situation goes out of hand, the police will be held responsible.”

Following this, in a video statement on Instagram, Fernandes said that the show is being rescheduled. He expressed regret over the situation, citing concerns for the safety of his audience, crew, and himself.

“Nobody is ready to guarantee the safety of my audience, my crew and myself. I do not want to put anyone in harm’s way because of something I said,” said Fernandes.

He also stated that the video which offended the Jain community has been taken down “However, we are still receiving calls, messages and emails threatening us with violence and vandalism,” he said.

Earlier in 2022, Singh had similarly threatened comedian Munawar Farooqui, who was set to perform in Hyderabad. Farooqui was accused of offending Hindu sentiments, and his January 2022 show was canceled due to these threats. However, Farooqui later performed at Shilpakala Vedika after intervention from the then IT Minister K. T. Rama Rao.

 

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