New Delhi, 27th August 2022: Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has opposed standup comedian Munawwar Farooqui’s show to be held in Delhi on August 28. VHP had also written a letter to Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora regarding this.
A day after this, the licensing branch of Delhi Police rejected the permission. The Central District Police had sent a report to the branch stating that ‘the show will affect communal harmony in the area’.
JCP (Licensing Branch) OP Mishra confirmed that the permission was denied after a report was received by the local (central) district police.
On August 23, the applicant Gursimar Singh Rayat, a resident of Vishnu Garden, West Delhi, in the licensing branch sought permission to perform a comedy show on August 28 at Dr SPM Civic Centre, Kedarnath Sahni Auditorium. Farooqui was said to be involved in this.
On 25 August, Delhi VHP president Surendra Kumar Gupta sent a letter to the police commissioner alleging that Farooqui had “made fun of Hindu gods in his show” and blamed him for the “Bhagyanagar violence (in Hyderabad)”. According to reports, Gupta also met senior officials of the central district on Friday morning and complained to the Kamla Market police station.
VHP spokesperson Vinod Bansal said, “We want peace in the city. We don’t want him to make fun of our Hindu gods. If the police don’t do anything, we will hold protests across the city. We have handed over the letter to the Delhi Police Headquarters and have also sent an email to the commissioner. We want him to take action.”