BMC demolishes part of venue where comedian Kunal Kamra joked about Eknath Shinde

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Monday demolished allegedly “unauthorised structures” at an event space in the city’s Khar locality that was vandalised by workers of the Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena, reported NDTV.

The workers vandalised The Habitat Studio on Sunday after videos of comedian Kunal Kamra performing jokes ostensibly criticising the deputy chief minister and alluding to him as a “traitor” during a performance were circulated online.

Kamra was referring to Shinde’s 2022 rebellion against Shiv Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray and the ensuing political situation in Maharashtra. He did not mention Shinde by name.

On Monday, officials of the city municipal corporation arrived at the Unicontinental Hotel in Khar, where The Habitat Studio is situated, with hammers, reported PTI.

According to media reports, the officials carried out a round of demolition inside the hotel, citing violation of rules.

Earlier in the day, representatives of The Habitat Studio said they would close the venue “till we figure out the best way to provide a platform for free expression without putting ourselves and our property in jeopardy”.

They said they were “extremely broken” by the attack. “Artists are solely responsible for their views and creative choices,” the venue management stated.

“We have never been involved in the content performed by any artist, but the recent events have made us rethink...

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