On Sunday, dozens of political party workers in the western Indian city of Mumbai forced their way into The Habitat and vandalised the popular venue for music, poetry recitals, and comedy gigs. They shut down a show, forced out the audience, destroyed property, and reportedly manhandled staff.
The reason: comedian Kunal Kamra had recently uploaded a video of his latest standup set performed around a month ago at The Habitat. In it, he made a joke about Eknath Shinde, leader of his faction of the regional Shiv Sena party and deputy chief minister of Maharashtra state, calling him a “traitor”, likely a reference to him splitting his party and allying with Narendra Modi’s BJP in 2022.
