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Audience members attending comedian Kunal Kamra’s stand-up show in Bengaluru on Sunday, August 2, had to walk through police barricades and undergo frisking before entering the comedy club. The show went ahead a day after a Hindutva organisation sought cancellation of his performances in the city.
“We have to be scared to even attend a comedy show now,” one woman who attended the performance told TNM, describing the heightened security outside the venue. Several others said they had expected some controversy because of Kamra’s reputation for political satire but found the level of security unusual. Attendees were also asked to leave their helmets outside before entering the venue.
The 2 pm show at The Underground Comedy Club in Koramangala was held amid a heavy police presence. Karnataka State Reserve Police personnel and Bengaluru city police officers were stationed outside the venue, with barricades placed at the entrance and security checks conducted for every attendee before they were allowed inside. Kamra acknowledged the security arrangements at the end of the performance, thanking the Bengaluru Police before concluding his set.
Sunday’s performance had originally been scheduled for August 1 but was rescheduled to August 2. The venue for Kamra's shows over the next few days has also changed. While tickets were initially sold for performances at URU in Whitefield between August 3 and August 6, ticketing platform District now lists The Underground Comedy Club in Koramangala as the venue for all four shows.
Kamra also announced the venue change on social media, saying ticket holders for the Whitefield shows would receive refunds and could purchase fresh tickets for the Koramangala performances.
The changes came after the Hindu Rashtra Samanvaya Samiti submitted a memorandum to the Bengaluru Police seeking cancellation of Kamra's shows in Whitefield, claiming that his performances could disturb law and order and communal harmony. The organisation alleged that remarks made by the comedian during a recent performance had hurt Hindu religious sentiments and urged police to prevent the event from taking place.
Days before the memorandum was submitted, a member of the organisation had posted on X questioning why Kamra, whom he accused of insulting Hindu beliefs, was being allowed to perform in Bengaluru.
Responding on August 1, Kamra invited members of the Hindutva organisation to meet him at the Whitefield police station “to debate on comedy & culture” while he sought permission to perform. Later that day, he posted a photograph with columnist Aakar Patel outside the police station, suggesting no members of the organisation had turned up.
Bengaluru Police has not publicly commented on the memorandum seeking cancellation of the shows or on the security arrangements made for Sunday’s performance.