BookMyShow Delists Kunal Kamra Amid Row Over 'Gaddar' Joke On Eknath Shinde

In a major setback for Kunal Kamra, the online ticketing platform BookMyShow on Saturday removed all content related to the stand-up comedian and delisted him from its roster of performers on its website.

This move follows a letter from Shiv Sena (Shinde faction) youth leader Rahool N Kanal, sent a day earlier, urging BookMyShow not to offer a platform to Kamra in light of his controversial comments about Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

Photo Credit: https://x.com/kunalkamra88

Kanal, requesting the site to halt ticket sales for Kamra's forthcoming shows, emphasised that "continuing to facilitate ticket sales for his events could be perceived as an endorsement of his divisive rhetoric which may have serious repercussions for public sentiment and order in the city."

He further wrote in his letter, which was shared on X: "Such remarks not only hurt the sentiments of public at large but also have the potential to incite public mischief and disrupt social harmony. By providing a platform for his performances, BookMyShow inadvertently lends credibility and reach to an individual whose actions threaten public order, particularly in a vibrant and diverse city like Mumbai, where your company is headquartered."

Following BookMyShow's decision to remove all content linked to Kamra, Kanal welcomed the move and expressed his gratitude to the company for deleting the artist's content.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Mumbai Police issued a third summons to Kamra in connection with an FIR for defamation and comments deemed to incite public mischief. Officers also visited his residence on Monday in an attempt to determine whether he intended to comply with the summons.

Amid the controversy, Kamra, who resides in Tamil Nadu, returned to his home state after allegedly receiving over 500 death threats via telephone. He subsequently approached the Madras High Court and was granted interim protection from arrest by Mumbai Police.