‘No video of Munawar Faruqui insulting Hindu deities,’ say police two days after arresting him
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The Indore Police on Sunday said they had no video evidence to show that comedian Munawar Faruqui insulted Hindu deities during a performance at a cafe in the city, The Indian Express reported. Faruqui had been arrested on Friday for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
Kamlesh Sharma, the town inspector of Tukaganj Police Station, told the newspaper that the video submitted by the complainant showed another comedian making jokes about the deity Ganesh. “There’s no evidence against him [Faruqui] for insulting Hindu deities or Union Minister Amit Shah,” Sharma said.
The complaint against Faruqui was filed by Eklavya Singh Gaur, the chief of Hindutva group Hind Rakshak Sangathan, according to reports. Gaur is the son of Bharatiya Janata Party MLA Malini Gaur. Faruqui was also accused of making derogatory remarks about Shah, and of allegedly mocking the kar sevaks who were killed in the Godhra massacre of 2002.
Meanwhile, several comedians spoke out against Faruqui’s arrest. “You can’t stop jokes and laughter,” actor and comedian Vir Das tweeted. “Not because comedians are performing it, but because people need to laugh. Harder you try, the more you’re going to be laughed at, now, and by history. Anyone who has ever tried to control humour, now has a category of jokes devoted to them.”
You can't stop jokes and laughter. Not because comedians are performing it, but because people need to laugh. Harder you try, the more you're going to be laughed at, now, and by history.
— Vir Das (@thevirdas) January 3, 2021
Anyone who has ever tried to control humour, now has a category of jokes devoted to them.
He also posted a screenshot of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tweet from 2017, which spoke about the importance of satire and humour. “I’m just going to leave this here,” Das wrote.
I'm just going to leave this here. pic.twitter.com/C8eqqDzPya
— Vir Das (@thevirdas) January 3, 2021
Comedian Rohan Joshi shared a video on Instagram of Faruqui trying to reason with the people who said they were offended by his jokes. “Turns out now you can just assault people while they’re doing their job and the cops will take ‘them’ to the police station,” Joshi wrote.
Varun Grover, the writer of critically acclaimed web series Sacred Games, also shared the video of Faruqui on his Instagram story. “A fellow Indian, a fellow comedian is in jail and got beaten up by a mob because of the words he uttered,” Grover wrote. “Here he’s trying to logically, calmly present his case but our systems now just want to brutally silence every voice.”
Grover added: “They don’t want to hear, they don’t want to even argue, they want to simply erase every shred of individual thought, every iota of reason. And we the people of the greatest civilization of earth are ok with it.”
Faruqui had also been allegedly roughed up by the members of the group Hind Rakshak Sangathan, who forcefully took him to the Tukoganj police station on Friday along with the organisers of the event.
Besides Faruqui, four other arrested persons were identified as Nalin Yadav, Prakhar Vyas, Edwin Anthony and Priyam Vyas.
They were booked under sections section 269 (unlawful or negligent act likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and other related provisions of the Indian Penal Act.
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RV Deshpande faces backlash from Bhatkal Tanzeem members over repeated neglect
Bhatkal: In an incident reported on Monday, the executive committee members of Majlis Islah wa Tanzeem Bhatkal expressed their dissatisfaction towards former Karnataka minister R. V. Deshpande during a gathering held at the Majlis Islah wa Tanzeem office in Bhatkal on Monday.
According to reports, the executive members expressed their discontent over the lack of support and assistance from Deshpande over the years, despite consistently voting in his favor in multiple elections. Tensions escalated during a meeting on Sunday, where Deshpande and Karnataka minister Mankal S. Vaidya visited the Tanzeem to discuss the upcoming general elections scheduled for May 7th in the Uttara Kannada district.
Allegations were made by the Tanzeem members that their longstanding support for Deshpande over the past three decades had not translated into tangible benefits for the Bhatkal constituency or its residents. This led to a heated exchange between the members and Deshpande, with the former minister expressing surprise and hurt at the claims made against him.
Abdul Raqeeb MJ, the General Secretary of Majlis Islah wa Tanzeem Bhatkal, confirmed the discontent among Tanzeem members, stating that there has been a growing dissatisfaction against Deshpande among the people of Bhatkal for several years. He criticized Deshpande for what was perceived as a lack of significant contributions to the development of Bhatkal and surrounding areas, especially in comparison to neighboring districts and constituencies.
"There is a General anger against the Congress party in general and Deshpande in particular. Because we have been seeing him as the senior most politician in the region and one who has sought votes from our community in all the elections in the last four decades but has not worked for the development of Bhatkal and the Muslim community here. He always believes that people of Bhatkal are rich and can take care of their development by themselves and that they do not need aid from the government or the ministries." He said.
Raqeeb also severely criticised the Congress party for what he described as neglecting the Muslim community on core issues such as triple talaq and hijab controversies, despite relying on their votes. He emphasized that while the Muslim community has consistently supported the Congress party, their concerns have often been overlooked, leaving them to face challenges alone.
Regarding the elections, Raqeeb mentioned that the Tanzeem is collaborating with other Muslim organizations in the Uttara Kannada district to address their concerns and issues, including those at the national level, with the Congress candidate.
The altercation reportedly led to a few members losing their composure, but the situation was eventually brought under control. Deshpande, while leaving the premises, expressed his dismay at being blamed for the lack of development in Bhatkal and its surrounding areas.
