Fellow comics expressed concern and anguish over the arrest of Mumbai-based comedian Munawar Faruqui in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore on Friday. Faruqui was also roughed up by members of a right-wing Hindutva group for ‘insulting Hindu gods’.
A brawl ensued between Hind Rakshak organisation and organisers at a cafe in Indore where Faruqui was performing before police arrived and took him away to Tukoganj police station.
As per the latest update, Munawar is in police custody in Indore.
Here is how some Twitter users reacted to his arrest:
Friends in #Indore, @munawar0018 has been taken away and the comedy community is worried about him
Please let us know if you find out anything about the situation at all. pic.twitter.com/NvUBYVyb4a
— Neil Balthazar (@NeilBalthazar) January 1, 2021
Video 1:
Munawar Faruqi (stand-up comedian from Bombay who had gone to perform in Indore, MP) in police station after a complaint filed for hurting religious sentiments. He's along with Edwin Anthony, Prakhar Pratik Vyas and Priyam Yadav.
— Hussain Haidry (@hussainhaidry) January 2, 2021
Comedian Munawar Farooqi is in jail at Tukoganj Police station in Indore. This Government is afraid of clowns. That's how fragile their narrative is. That it can be undone by a joke on their atrocities on the powerless
— Agrima Kaur Khan ?? (@Agrimonious) January 2, 2021
Anyone in touch with Munawar? Does he have legal representation?
If anyone has any information please let us know. We have a team in Indore. https://t.co/NDhpTwLHwE— Anas Tanwir (बुकरात वकील) (@Vakeel_Sb) January 2, 2021
Bc kya chal raha hai? https://t.co/zxSvsCLNDI
— Abijit Ganguly (@AbijitG) January 2, 2021
However, right-wing supporters on Twitter were happy with the police action and alleged assault. Here is how righ-wing Twitter reacted to the incident:
‘Comedian’ Munawar Faruqui roughed up for insulting Hindu Gods, cafe owner says he had ‘no knowledge’ of the show: What we know so farhttps://t.co/EsiNQPvqN4
— Nupur J Sharma (@UnSubtleDesi) January 2, 2021
Munawar Faruqui is a small fish.
We should go for the sharks.
The first name that comes to my mind : Sanjay Rajoura or Urban Tucchhaa @urbantucchha .
Apart from Hinduphobic tweets, he asked for death of Rajputs & threatened people on Twitter to get them fired from jobs.
— Fakir Pika (@zLaTaNPiKaPi29) January 2, 2021
Finally Munawar ka number a gaya ?? https://t.co/Cmi0dhODOO
— Jai Hanuman ? (@AcommonWoman1) January 2, 2021
Comedian Munawar Farooqui who mocked Hindu Gods in past and Maharashtra govt took no action.
Now arrested by MP Police. I hope @ChouhanShivraj takes the toughest action possible and releases statement against this hate monger pic.twitter.com/CaJPlpWXFX
— Aashish (@kashmiriRefuge) January 2, 2021
FIR lodged against Munawar Faruqi, arrested
An FIR was lodged against Munawar Faruqi and organisers of the show.
The FIR was filed on the complaint of Hind Rakshak organisation’s chief Eklavya Singh Gaur, the son of BJP MLA Malini Gaur, for allegedly using obscene language for a community’s religious beliefs.
Prathvi Chandanshiv, one of the members of the organisation said that a 26- years-old man (Faruqui) used derogatory language for gods in a café in Chappan Dukan area.
Some members of the organisation were present there, and they objected to him for using such language after which they had an altercation, he said.
Police said that on the complaint of Gaur and other members of the organisation, they have detained the man and are interrogating him.
A police official said that the comedian allegedly “mocked Hindu gods and goddesses” during the show which was organised “without permission” from authorities.
Cops said the video footage from the event is being examined to ascertain whether minors were also present at the show.
Faruqi is from Gujarat’s Jamnagar district but is now based in Mumbai. This is not his first brush with the law.
Earlier in April, Ramesh Solanki, a Hindutva activist and former Shiv Sena member, filed an online complaint with Mumbai Police against Faruqui for “mocking Sri Ram and Sita Maata”.
Source: Free Press Journal
