BENGALURU: Stand-up comedian Vir Das’ show, which was scheduled at P Chowdaiah Memorial Hall in Vyalikaval on Thursday evening, was cancelled following protests by Right-wing organisations.
The show was scheduled at 5.30 pm, but hours earlier Vir Das announced on his Instagram that the show was cancelled “due to unavoidable circumstances”. In the morning, members of Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS), a Right-wing outfit, had staged a protest outside the venue demanding that the event be cancelled.
On Monday, HJS spokesperson Mohan Gowda had given a petition to the Vyalikaval police station not to allow Das’ event. It alleged that he had made derogatory statements against women, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India at a show in Washington DC, and cases were registered against him by the Mumbai and Delhi police.
“In this background, it is not right to allow such a controversial person to hold the programme in a ‘communally-sensitive’ area like Bengaluru. When Karnataka is already facing many law and order problems due to communal incidents, such events which could vitiate law and order should not be allowed. We demand that this programme be cancelled immediately,” the HJS stated.
The police, however, said they were ready to provide appropriate security at the venue, but the organisers cancelled the show hours ahead of schedule.
“There was a protest opposing the show in the morning, following which the organisers and the venue management informed us that the show was cancelled. It was an indoor event and we had agreed to provide security as per the organiser’s request,” the police said.
Das, in his social media post, said, “Hey folks. Due to unavoidable circumstances we are pushing the Bengaluru show. New details and dates soon. Sorry for the inconvenience.”