Hyderabad: Stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui has said that he is receiving several threat calls and not being allowed to work. His statement comes after his shows in Gujarat and Mumbai were recently cancelled following threats from members of the Hindutva group Bajrang Dal.
In an interview with NDTV India the comedian said if the country’s youth can decide who to vote, they can also decide what to watch. Earlier this year Faruqui, who was arrested and was in jail for a month in Indore for allegedly cracking anti-Hindu jokes, said he is not being allowed to work even after the Supreme Court granted him bail.
The comedian said he cancelled his shows because the safety of the audience matters the most to him. He called the cancellation unfortunate and stated that a lot of wrongs are happening in the country. “It is a sad reality, and many people are living with it,” he said.
According to Faruqui, 80 people earn a livelihood from his single show, including drivers, volunteers, and guards. “These are people who have been jobless for the past one-and-a-half years. I feel bad for them,” he said.
The stand-up artiste said Bajrang Dal members are targeting him by circulating a 10-seconds clip from a two-hour show and portraying that he has insulted the Hindu goddesses.
” Insulting any religion has never been my intention,” said Faruqui.
The comic said everyone is targeted. “In my case, they use religion. That scares me. I get 50 threat calls daily and I had to change my SIM card thrice. When my number gets leaked, people call up and abuse me,” he added.
The artist said with the recent cancellation of his shows, he’s very sure that some people are trying to create a political cloud or gain political advantage out of this. “Hate won, so the shows got cancelled. But till when? We will win,” he said, adding that he will continue to spread smiles.