David Bridges
Cancellation of the standup comedian Munawar Farooqui’s show scheduled on August 28 in the National Capital has triggered a whole new controversy leaving social media divided. While his fans called it a wrong move expressing regret over the decision, others called it the right move.
This is the third blow to the fans of Farooqui in a span of one week when his show has been canceled. Earlier, his shows in Bengaluru and Mumbai were also canceled. However, different reasons were cited for the cancellation.
The Licensing Unit of Delhi Police has denied permission to the show fearing that it might have an impact on communal harmony. The denial of the show has been confirmed officially by the Delhi Police. Meanwhile, social media has also been divided into two factions over the issue.
On the other hand, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra tweeted on Saturday morning when the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) threatened Delhi Police to cancel Munawar’s show. She said the Delhi Police was forced to cancel the permission given to the show under the pressure of VHP leaders.
Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, she added, “Is India’s communal harmony so fragile even after 75 years of Independence that it will be disrupted by comedy shows?.”
With Mahua Moitra’s post polarising the social media users an unending debate started on the internet. Some of the social media users had their own logic to support Munawar, while others trolled him and were even seen pulling him up over some of the old controversies.
According to sources, on New Year’s eve this year, Munawar Farooqui was arrested in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, on the allegation of making objectionable remarks on Hindu deities. He was even accused of making objectionable remarks about Home Minister Amit Shah. After staying a couple of days in jail, he was finally released. However, after coming out, his 12 shows got canceled in just two months.
Clara Hastings
Ivy Caldwell
