'Artist Haar Gaya,' Says Munawar Faruqui After Show Cancelled in Bengaluru

Under attack from Hindutva groups, Faruqui has had shows cancelled in Raipur, Surat, Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Mumbai.

Image of comedian Munawar Faruqui used for representational purposes.

(Photo: Shruti Mathur/The Quint)

Video Producer: Aparna Singh

Video Editor: Abhishek Sharma and Purnendu Pritam

Comedian Munawar Faruqui on Sunday, 28 November, suggested that he may no more perform on stage after Bengaluru Police wrote to the organisers of his show in the city, asking them to cancel the show.

This was after a right-wing organisation had submitted a memorandum to the police requesting to ban Faruqui’s show.

In an Instagram post, Faruqui said, "Nafrat jeet gayi, artist haar gaya (hate has won, artist has lost). I'm done, goodbye. Injustice."

At least 12 of Faruqui's shows were cancelled in the last two months due to threats from right-wing groups.

Recently, on 23 November, in a freewheeling chat with The Quint, Faruqui had opened up about the toll this is taking on his work, his physical safety and his mental health.

Bengaluru Police Asks Organisers to Cancel Munawar's Show

The letter was written to Vishesh Dhuria of Curtain Call events, by police inspector of the Ashoknagar Police, under whose jurisdiction the ‘Dongri to Nowehere’ show was set to be held at Good Shepherd auditorium on Sunday, 28 November.

The police wrote in the letter,

“It is learned that Munawar Faruqui is a controversial figure for his controversial statements on other religions and Gods. Many states have banned his comedy shows. It is learnt that a case has also been registered against him under Tukoganj police station in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore.”

The police added that “there is credible information that several organisations are opposing this stand-up comedy show performed by Faruqui. This could create chaos and could disturb public peace and harmony which may further lead to law and order problems. Therefore it is suggested that you should cancel Faruqui’s comedy show.”

Right-wing organisation Hindu Janajagriti Samiti had requested the police commissioner of Bengaluru to disallow the show from being held.

In the recent past, multiple shows of Faruqui have been cancelled after threats from right-wing organisations.

As per a report by Hindustan Times, the Hindu Janjagriti Samiti had alleged that Faruqui "has made vulgar jokes about Hindu Gods" and should not be allowed to perform in Goa.

"There are elections in Goa and shows like these could create acrimony in the state", the Hindutva group’s spokesperson Jayesh Thali was quoted as saying.

The organisers of the Goa shows, LVC Comedy Club, had released a statement on social media saying that over 500 people had threatened to set themselves on fire if the show was allowed to take place.

"Yep, that's not a joke, that's actual conversation I had today, along with signed documents. Post talking to the local police, there's not much that can be done to avoid an incident of that nature. So this show won't be happening on Monday. It was two sold-out shows, but well", the statement read.

Constantly being targeted by Hindutva groups since his arrest in January, Faruqui has had shows recently cancelled in Raipur, Surat, Ahmedabad, Vadodara and Mumbai.

(With inputs from Hindustan Times.)