Kunal Kamra row: BMC officials arrive with hammers, find illegal shed at Habitat Studio; VIDEO
BMC officials, carrying hammers, arrived at Mumbai's Unicontinental Hotel—home to Habitat Studio—hours after Shiv Sena workers vandalized the venue over comedian Kunal Kamra’s joke about Deputy CM Eknath Shinde. Officials discovered an unauthorized shed and began a structural review under tight police security.
FollowMumbai: BMC officials arrived at Mumbai’s Unicontinental Hotel, carrying hammers, just hours after Shiv Sena members vandalized the Habitat Studio located within the premises. The incident followed comedian Kunal Kamra’s controversial joke about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
A video shared by ANI showed a BMC official entering the hotel under tight security provided by Maharashtra Police. During their inspection, authorities reviewed the building’s plans for the ground-plus-three-storey structure and discovered an unauthorized temporary shed at the entrance. A senior BMC official stated that although the civic body had intended to remove the shed, the property owners requested additional time to dismantle it on their own.
Additionally, officials are now verifying if the building’s existing structure complies with the approved layout plans.
Major controversy sparked by stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra
This development follows a major controversy sparked by Kunal Kamra’s recent performance, where he parodied a popular Hindi song from Dil To Pagal Hai, referring to Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde as a "gaddar" (traitor). During the act, Kamra also cracked jokes about the ongoing political turmoil in Maharashtra, including the splits within Shiv Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
“Meri nazar se tum dekho to gaddar nazar wo aaye. Haaye,” Kunal Kamra said during his show.
"Shiv Sena first came out of the BJP, then Shiv Sena came out of Shiv Sena. NCP came out of NCP, they gave nine buttons to one voter... everyone got confused," he added.
Earlier in the day, Habitat Studio announced its temporary closure after Shiv Sena workers vandalized the premises. The incident followed an uproar triggered by comedian Kunal Kamra’s remarks targeting Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during his stand-up performance in Mumbai.
Habitat Studio closed after vandalism
In a post on its official Instagram handle, Habitat Studio said, "We are shocked, worried, and extremely broken by the recent acts of vandalism targeting us. Artists are solely responsible for their views and creative choices."
"We are shutting down until we figure out the best way to provide a platform for free expression without putting ourselves and our property in jeopardy. We invite all artists, audiences, and stakeholders to discuss and share their views freely and request your guidance so that we also respect the performers' rights," it added.
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