MUMBAI: Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra faced political backlash and subsequent legal action following a recent performance in Mumbai, during which he performed a satirical song that implicitly criticized Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.  

During his act at the Habitat Comedy Club in Khar, without directly naming anyone, Kamra cracked jokes and made sarcastic comments targeting Shinde over his political career and the 2022 rebellion against then-chief of the undivided Shiv Sena and CM Uddhav Thackeray.  

As the video surfaced on Sunday, supporters of Shinde's Shiv Sena party vandalized the Habitat Comedy Club and the hotel housing it. The Mumbai police later arrested Shiv Sena functionary Rahul Kanal and over a dozen others for allegedly vandalizing the premises. According to news agencies, apart from Kanal of the Yuva Sena, police have also booked Vibhag Pramukh Kunal Sarmarkar and Akshay Panvelkar for ransacking hotel properties.  

Mumbai police also booked Kamra under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Shiv Sena MLA Murji Patel lodged a police complaint at the MIDC police station. The First Information Report (FIR) was registered in the early hours of Monday under various BNS sections, including 353(1)(b) (statements conducing to public mischief) and 356(2) (defamation).  

The Habitat, known for hosting various artistic performances, has temporarily shut down following the vandalism. Incidentally, Habitat Studio, where Kamra's show was held, is the same venue where the controversial *India's Got Latent* show by Samay Raina was filmed, which sparked outrage over derogatory comments made by Ranveer Allahbadia.  

Shiv Sena MP Naresh Mhaske on Sunday warned Kamra that he would be chased by party workers throughout the country and forced to flee India. Calling Kamra a "contract comedian," he warned that Kamra had stepped on the tail of a snake (apparently referring to Shinde), and once the fangs are out, there would be dire consequences.