Comedian Munawar Faruqui Dropped From Gurgaon Show After Complaint By BJP Leader

Faruqui had insulted Hindu deities divine to his faith, said Arun Yadav, IT department head, Haryana BJP, in his complaint to Gurugram police

New Delhi: Munawar Faruqui, a renowned stand-up comedian, has been dropped from a three-day show that would be held later this month in Gurugram in the wake of a complaint filed against him by BJP Haryana unit's IT department head Arun Yadav.

Munawar Faruqui was among a host of artists scheduled to perform at the Gurgaon Comedy Festival on December 17-19.

BJP leader Arun Yadav tweeted the police complaint he filed, saying, "We will not allow this traitor's show in Gurgaon under any circumstances. Jai Shri Ram." In his complaint, Arun Yadav said the comedian's activities "have offended Hindu faith". "This is intentionally done to incite communal disharmony," he further said.

In the past few months, several shows of Munawar Faruqui, who spent a month in Indore jail on charges of allegedly insulting Hindu gods and goddesses during an event, have been cancelled following alleged threats by right-wing groups. These include shows in Surat, Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

'Hate Won, Artist Lost'

Last month, Faruqui's comedy show in Bengaluru was cancelled after police cited law and order issues. Exasperated with the decision, Munawar Faruqui expressed his disappointment, saying "hate won, an artist lost" and called it an "injustice".

"My name is Munawar Faruqui. And that's been my time, you guys were (a) wonderful audience. Good bye, I'm done," he tweeted.