Kunal Kamra yet to respond to police summons over “Traitor” remark on Eknath Shinde

Mumbai Police have sent two summons to Kamra so far, with the latest one on March 24 directing him to appear at Khar Police Station on Monday, March 31, regarding his recent "traitor" remark about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Mumbai: A big question mark hangs over whether controversial comedian Kunal Kamra will appear before Mumbai’s Khar Police on Monday to record a statement, as there has been no communication from him to the police, said an official.

The Mumbai Police have issued two summons to Kamra so far. The second one, issued on March 24, asked him to appear at Khar Police Station on Monday (March 31) over his recent “traitor” jibe at Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

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A police official said there was no official information available whether Kunal Kamra would appear before Khar police on Monday.

While the chances of Kamra joining the investigation during the day appeared low, his advocate, V. Suresh, has been expressing fears over the comedian’s safety if he comes to Mumbai.

Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut on Monday also raised security concerns for Kamra, alleging that the comedian had received threats from some Cabinet ministers.

On March 24, Khar Police issued summons addressed to Kamra but delivered them to his parents’ residence in Mumbai, asking him to appear for an investigation on Monday, said the lawyer.

In response, Kamra sent a letter stating that he was not in Mumbai due to prior commitments and offered to appear on April 2. Kamra has been granted protection against arrest till April 7 by the Madras High Court.

Kamra landed in trouble after giving a comic spin-off to a popular Hindi song in which he indirectly described Shinde as a ‘traitor,’ referring to the 2022 Maharashtra political crisis, which eventually led to the collapse of the Uddhav Thackeray-led state government.

He recorded a video in February for a programme called “Naya Bharat”, which was uploaded on social media on March 23. Shortly after its release, the comic act drew strong reactions from the ruling party in Maharashtra.

The controversy snowballed after the release of the video clip as angry Shiv Saniks vandalised the Unicontinental hotel in Khar where the shooting of his act took place. The incident resulted in the arrest and the subsequent granting of bail to 12 Shinde supporters.

Earlier, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Zone 9 (Mumbai), Dixit Gedam, said two offences have been registered at Khar police station in connection with the matter.

One is against Kamra for derogatory comments, while the other is against people who vandalised the hotel.

Since Khar Police were investigating the main case related to the incidents, three other FIRs registered against Kamra in different cities of Maharashtra have been amalgamated with the Mumbai FIR.