Indian stand-up comic sets off free speech debate with parody song

26/3/2025 17:04

Indian stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra faces police scrutiny for a performance seen to have criticised a key politician and ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, fanning concerns about the limits of free speech in the world’s largest democracy.



The ensuing violence triggered comment on social media and prime time shows, even as Kamra refused to apologise over an accusation that his use of the term "traitor" referenced Eknath Shinde, the deputy chief minister of India's richest state.



"I don't fear this mob and I will not be hiding under my bed, waiting for this to die down," Kamra, a known critic of Modi, with more than 6 million subscribers on social media, said in a statement on Monday.



Kamra's parody song about a traitor did not identify anyone but angered workers of Shinde's hardline Hindu nationalist Shiv Sena party, who ransacked the performance site and complained to police his act had defamed the leader.



Media said Kamra declined to appear before police in the financial capital of Mumbai, citing death threats against him by party members, and sought a week's time to do so.