Munawar Faruqui Delhi show cancelled as it may 'affect harmony'

New Delhi, Aug 27: Munawar Faruqui, a stand-up comedian, was denied permission to perform in Delhi for his August 28 scheduled show. The event was scheduled for Sunday afternoon (August 28) at the Kedarnath Sahni Auditorium, C-Block, SPM Civic Centre in central Delhi. This is not the first time Munawar Faruqui's show was cancelled. His Bengaluru show was cancelled last week.

The licensing unit of the Delhi Police denied the permission citing the show may "affect communal harmony". The Joint Commissioner of Police, Licensing, OP Mishra told ANI that the permission for the show has been denied.

On 25 August, The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) had written to the Delhi Police to cancel comedian Munawar Faruqui's show. In its letter, the VHP alleged that "Communal tension arose in Bhagyanagar because of Munawar's jokes on Hindu Gods."

Munawar has been in controversies for mocking Hindu Gods and Goddesses. The VHP letter further said that if the show is not cancelled, members of the VHP and Bajrang Dal will hold protests.

Last Saturday, Munawar Faruqui hosted a standup comedy show in Hyderabad, amidst tight security. The Telangana BJP chief Bandi Sanjay Kumar had given a call to boycott the show alleging that Faruqui mocked Hindu Gods.

Earlier this week, suspended Telangana BJP MLA T Raja Singh was arrested by the state police for his remarks on the Prophet in a video posted on social media. Singh said his video was in response to the show held in Hyderabad by Faruqui.