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

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation on Monday demolished structures they claimed were unauthorised at an event space in the city’s Khar locality that had been vandalised by workers of the Eknath Shinde-led faction of the Shiv Sena on Sunday, reported NDTV.

The workers vandalised The Habitat Studio 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 crisis in Maharashtra. He did not mention Shinde by name.

On Monday, officials of the city municipal corporation carried out demolitions in the Unicontinental Hotel in Khar, where The Habitat Studio is situated, claiming that rules had been violated.

VIDEO | Kunal Kamra show controversy: BMC officials arrive at The Habitat Studio in Mumbai.

(Full video available on PTI Videos- https://t.co/dv5TRAShcC) pic.twitter.com/ItN7D1U22b— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 24, 2025

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...

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