Mumbai police issue 3rd summons to Kunal Kamra, ask him to appear on April 5

Mumbai Police has issued a third summons to stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra asking him to appear on April 5 in a case registered against him for allegedly making derogatory remarks about Maharashtra deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, officials said. The summons was issued on Tuesday and Kamra (36) was asked to appear at the Khar police station where a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against him last month, they said. He had been summoned twice by the police earlier but failed to join the investigation, the officials said.

The case stems from a parody song performed by Kamra at a show in Mumbai which appeared to target Shinde, who heads the Shiv Sena following his rebellion against Uddhav Thackeray, and call him a traitor. The song, though, did not name Shinde.

Angry Shiv Sena activists last month vandalised the studio where the show had been recorded. The Khar police registered an FIR against Kamra on a complaint by a Sena MLA under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections pertaining to defamation and public mischief. On Monday, a Khar police team visited Kamra’s house in Mumbai’s Mahim area, where his family lives, to find out whether he would appear before the police, officials said.

On March 28, the Madras High Court granted interim anticipatory bail to the comedian. Justice Sunder Mohan also issued a notice to Khar police, and posted the matter to April 7 for further hearing.