Comedian Munawar Faruqui was part of the line-up for the upcoming Gurgaon Comedy Festival but he was dropped from the show by its organisers following threats and a police complaint filed by BJP leader Arun Yadav. The festival’s organiser opened up about the situation in a recent interview and said that they decided to drop Faruqui for the ‘safety of the audience and the artists.’
The organiser Mubin Tisekar told DeadAnt, “A couple of calls were made to the property and a couple of calls were made to us yesterday and so for the safety of the audience and the artists we have decided that Munawar will not be a part of the comedy festival.”
Tisekar added, “I spoke to Munawar and we wanted to figure something out, a way out, but I don’t think anyone would help us find a way to do a show…The artist himself has said he won’t be performing that day.”
On 6 December, BJP Leader Arun Yadav shared a picture of the complaint on social media and wrote in Hindi, "Filed a complaint against comedian Munawar Faruqui's upcoming show in Gurgaon. We will not allow this traitor's show in Gurgaon under any circumstances. Jai Shri Ram."
Yadav accused Faruqui of ‘insulting Hindu gods and goddesses’ and stated in the complaint, “To maintain peace and harmony in between different section of the society...I request you to kindly look into the matter and stop him (from participating) in the Gurgaon Comedy Festival on 19 December 2021.”
Munawar Faruqui's Shows in Several Cities Cancelled
In November, Munawar Faruqui had hinted that he would quit performing after several of his shows across India were cancelled due to right wing threats to him, prospective venues and his audience. In a statement on social media, Faruqui had written, “Putting me in jail for the joke I never made to cancelling my shows which has nothing problematic in it. This is unfair. This show has gained so much love from people in India irrespective of their religion.”
However, on 30 November, Faruqui posted another statement suggesting that he might continue comedy. He wrote that he will script his own destiny no matter what challenges he faces.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)