Standup comedian Munawar Faruqui’s show in Bengaluru was cancelled on Sunday amid protest by the Hindu right-wing outfits who alleged that he had hurt the Hindu sentiments in one of his shows.

“Yes, we have denied him permission. He will not perform any public show today,” a senior police officer told PTI on condition of anonymity.

Confirming the same, Faruqui wrote on social media that his show that had sold “600 plus” tickets was cancelled in the wake of the “threats to venue vandalism.”

“My name is Munawar Faruqui. And that’s been my time, you guys were (a) wonderful audience. Good bye, I’m done,” he tweeted. 

The proceeds from the show were supposed to be donated to late Kannada star Puneeth Rajkumar’s charitable organisation.

The 29-year-comic said he initially did not want to reveal that the show was for charity.

“Putting me in jail for the joke I never did to cancelling my shows which has nothing problematic in it. This is unfair. This show has gained so much love from people in India irrespective of their religion. This is unfair (sic)” he added in his Twitter statement.

Who is Munawar Faruqui?

Born in Junagadh, Gujarat, in 1992, Faruqui reportedly moved to Mumbai in 2007 to make a fresh start following the 2002 Gujarat riots. He worked as a graphic designer before becoming a comedian. 

The comedian first landed in controversy in April 2020 after his YouTube video went viral in which he was seen making jokes on Hindu Gods Rama and Sita along with the 2002 Godhra massacre.

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He again made headlines earlier this year after he was taken into custody for allegedly hurting Hindu sentiments by making questionable remarks on Hindu Gods during a show on January 1 in Madhya Pradesh’s Indore. He also allegedly made remarks on Union Home Minister Amit Shah However. He was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court a month after his arrest.

He was charged under several sections including section 188, 34, 269 and 295 A of Indian Penal Code, which deals with organising the event without permission, breaking COVID-19 safety rules and deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class.