MP court denies bail to comedian Munawar Faruqui
An Additional District and Sessions court in Madhya Pradesh has denied bail to comedian Munawar Faruqui and another accused who were booked for passing "indecent" remarks against Hindu deities. The stand-up comedian was last week arrested for allegedly insulting Hindu Gods and Union Home Minister Amit Shah at one of his shows in Indore. Here are more details on this.
Why were Faruqui and others arrested?
Last week, Faruqui was arrested for allegedly passing derogatory remarks on Hindu Gods and Shah during a show. Faruqui, Nalin Yadav, Edwin Anthony, Prakhar Vyas and Priyam Vyas were booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The complaint was filed by Eklavya Singh Gaur, who is the son of a Bharatiya Janata Party legislator.
Allegations against Faruqui are vague, claims his lawyer
Faruqui's lawyer Anshuman Shrivastava claimed the allegations made against the comedian are "vague," arguing that he was booked under political pressure. The prosecution lawyer Vimal Mishra, on the other hand, stated that the accused not only passed demeaning remarks but also participated at an event without the permission of the authorities. He added that the remarks made at the event were "full of obscenity."
What happened at Faruqui's controversial show?
Gaur has said that he and his associates had gone to Faruqui's show as audience, where the comedian made the alleged remarks. The comic was also allegedly roughed up by some members of the group, and forcefully taken to the local police station. Apart from the five accused, another person was later arrested for taking part in the program, the police said.
Police said that no evidence had been found
However, after examining the two videos submitted by the complainant, Kamlesh Sharma from the Tukoganj Police station told India Today that no evidence had been found against the comedian and the other accused to show that they insulted Hindu Gods and Shah.
Vir Das and other comedians have supported Faruqui
Faruqui has received support from several fellow stand-up comedians after his arrest. Film actor and comedian Vir Das took to Twitter and wrote, "You can't stop jokes and laughter. Not because comedians are performing it, but because people need to laugh (sic)." Others, including Varun Grover and Rohan Joshi, have also criticized Faruqui's arrest and demanded his release.
