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The Andhra Pradesh police have detained another stand-up comedian, Rafiq, for making jokes about Deputy Chief Minister and Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan. This comes a day after the arrest of Hyderabad-based comedian Anudeep Katikala for a similar reason.
Before the police action, Rafiq’s location and contact details were doxxed on X, based on which a complaint was filed by a Jana Sena leader from Machilipatnam.
Sayana Sivannarayana in his complaint at the Chilakalapudi police station, alleged that Rafiq made “abusive and derogatory remarks” against Pawan Kalyan and Minister Nara Lokesh, son of Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Rafiq, a resident of Visakhapatnam, was summoned to the Vizag I Town police station from his home on the night of Thursday, April 16. He was later shifted to Chilakalapudi, according to his family.
Chilakalapudi Station House Officer Nabi confirmed that Rafiq is currently in police custody, though his formal arrest has not yet been recorded.
Over the past week, fans and supporters of Pawan Kalyan and his Jana Sena Party have launched a coordinated campaign against Anudeep, issuing threats of violence for his jokes referencing Pawan Kalyan’s personal life and actor Ram Charan’s marriage.
As calls for Anudeep’s arrest grew, Rafiq’s videos were also circulated online. In these clips, he jokes about Pawan Kalyan’s relationships. In one video, he remarks that not only the people of Visakhapatnam but also Pawan Kalyan’s former spouses had “rejected” him. He was referring to the 2019 elections where Pawan Kalyan lost his Gajuwaka seat in his election debut.
In another video, Rafiq compares Nara Lokesh to a Pokémon character. He also makes a joke with sexual innuendo while referring to India–Russia relations, indirectly alluding to Pawan Kalyan’s wife, Anna Lezhneva, who is from Russia.
In Anudeep’s case, Kakinada police travelled over 1,000 km to Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh, where he was visiting family. They traced his phone to a park on April 14, detained him, and brought him back to Kakinada, reaching the Kakinada I Town police station on the morning of April 16. He was produced before a magistrate later that night, who released him on a personal bond.
In the joke that triggered backlash, Anudeep referenced actor-producer Niharika Konidela’s divorce, suggesting she could seek advice from her uncle Pawan Kalyan. Supporters of the Jana Sena Party alleged that the remark was misogynistic and inappropriate.
In an earlier conversation with TNM, Anudeep said his intention was to normalise conversations around divorce and remove the associated stigma.