Standup comedian Daniel Fernandes cancelled his show in Hyderabad, which was supposed to be held on June 29, Saturday, following threats by Bharatiya Janata Party MLA T Raja. The latter threatened the comedian after a video of him cracking jokes on the Jain community went viral.
Taking to his Instagram handle, Fernandes shared a video in which he can be seen stating that he does not wish to risk the lives of his team members and audience as he continued receiving threats despite issuing an unconditional apology.
"The video that has offended people has been taken down and I have posted an apology earlier. However, we are still receiving calls, messages, and emails threatening us with violence and vandalism. Nobody is ready to guarantee the safety of my audience, my crew and myself, and I do not want to put anybody in harm’s way because of something I said," he stated in his video.
He went on to say, "It's okay to disagree with an artist's work. But to say that I will inflict violence upon an artist because I do not like their work isn't the answer."
"To the members of the Jain community, I will say it again: There was no intention to malign anybody here. I can see that you're upset and angry, and this genuinely makes me sad," he added.
It all began after a clip of Fernandes passed comments about Jains in Delhi dressing up as Muslims and buying goats to save their lives on Bakri Eid went viral.
Later, T Raja asked Fernandes to take the video down, and added that if he did not oblige and apologise, his "workers will come and thrash" him.
