SILENCED: Hindutva fundamentalists have no sense of humour and have silenced popular comedian Munawar Faruqui.
Popular comedian Munawar Faruqui with a large following has been forced to cancel his shows and even consider giving up his profession due to harassment by the Hindutva brigade.
A SHOW by comedian Munawar Faruqui was cancelled on Sunday, hours before it was supposed to be held in Bengaluru, after the city police denied it permission citing possible law and order problems amid protest by right-wing outfits. Faruqui, who was jailed for a month earlier this year on charges of “insulting Hindu gods and goddesses” during a comedy show, tweeted: “Aaj Bangalore show cancel ho gaya (Under the Threat of venue vandalism.) We sold 600+ tickets… Putting me in jail for the joke I never did to cancelling my shows which has nothing problematic in it. This is unfair… I think this is the end. My name is Munawar Faruqui and that’s been my time. You guys were a wonderful audience. Goodbye, I’m done.” He further indicated that he may not do any more shows after at least 12 of his shows were cancelled in the last two months due to threats from right-wing groups. “Nafrat jeet gayi, artist haar gaya (hate has won, the artist has lost). I’m done, goodbye. Injustice,” the tweet said.
CHARITY SHOWS
According to Alwin Mendoza, the manager of Good Shepherd auditorium, Faruqui’s show was scheduled to be held on Sunday evening at Good Shepherd auditorium in Bengaluru for the second time within two months. He said that a show by Faruqui was held last month at the same venue. However, on Saturday, the Bengaluru Police wrote to the organisers and asked them to call off the event as the comedian was a “controversial figure”. “It is learned that Munawar Faruqui is a controversial figure as he has made controversial statements on other religion’s Gods. Many states have banned his comedy shows,” said the letter by the Ashok Nagar Police Station, adding that the show “could create chaos and could disturb the public peace and harmony which may further lead to law and order problems.” In his social media post, Faruqui also said that his team had reached out to late Kannada actor Puneeth Rajkumar for the show, the proceeds of which would be used for charity. “Month back my team called late Puneeth Rajkumar sir organisation for charity which we will be going to generate from this show in Bangalore. We agreed to not sell the show in the name of charity as suggested by the noble organisation.”
Faruqui and four others were arrested by Madhya Pradesh police on January 1 following a complaint by Eklavya Singh Gaud, son of BJP MLA Malini Laxman Singh Gaud that objectionable remarks about Hindu deities as well as Union Home Minister Amit Shah were passed during a comedy show at a cafe in Indore on New Year’s Day. He was later released on bail. Welcoming the cancellation, Mohan Gowda, the spokesperson of Hindu Janajagruthi Samithi, said: “Today the programme by Hindu hater Munawar Faruqui’s show was cancelled and we thank the Bengaluru police.” He added that there should be a permanent ban on him and cancellation of the show on Sunday was due to the efforts of several pro-Hindu organisations who rallied to stop Faruqui’s show in Bengaluru. Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, however, tweeted: “Hate won’t win – have faith. Don’t give up, don’t stop. #StayUnited.” The Karnataka home minister Araga Jnanendra and two other senior leaders of the ruling BJP could not be reached for a comment.
Courtesy: Hindustan Times
Who is Munawar Faruqui?
Munawar Faruqui is a stand-up comedian from Junagadh, Gujarat. His journey in comedy began three years ago, when he did his first stand-up act. His comedy is topical, observational and political. His YouTube channel, launched last year, enjoys a following of over five lakh subscribers. Going by his channel, the comedian dabbles in parodies of famous songs to make political commentary.
Case in point – the “Bada Pachtaoge” parody about the anti-NRC/CAA protests and Delhi riots. Munawar’s stand-up acts include commentary on topics like 2002 Gujarat riots, the Sushant Singh Rajput case and the nepotism debate in Bollywood.