In India, it is very easy to hurt people's sentiments, religious or otherwise. Painters, writers, filmmakers, politicians and now even stand-up comedians have over the years been accused of hurting sentiments of the people. However, with the internet coming in, these "hurt" people have found a platform to outrage and with a sizeable people tweeting the same, they become successful to form a trend and make it to the news.
Recently, stand-up comedian Agrima Joshua's old video has surfaced on the internet and she has been slammed for "hurting sentiments" of the followers of Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.
In the video, Joshua is seen cracking jokes on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's upcoming statue in the Arabian Sea. She goes on to tell "funny things" that she read on Quora. Someone on the question-and-answer website wrote, "This Shivaji statue is an amazing masterstroke by Prime Minister Modi Ji. It will have solar cells which will power all of Maharashtra," Joshua said. She went on to crack a few more jokes.
However, the video did not go down well, with netizens demanding Mumbai Police to take strict action for hurting their sentiments.
"Dear @CMOMaharashtra stand up Comedian @Agrimonious cracked jokes and made fun of Chatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. She has hurt feelings of crores of Maharaj devotees across the globe. Please take strictest action against her CC @AnilDeshmukhNCP @CPMumbaiPolice @MumbaiPolice," wrote Hindutva activist Ramesh Solanki.
Here are a few Twitter reactions:
After the outrage, the stand-up comedian tagged Maharashtra Cabinet Minister Aaditya Thackeray and said that BJP IT cell has unleashed a bunch of trolls at her. Taking to Twitter she wrote, "Dear @AUThackeray If you aren't already aware of this, the @BJP4India IT Cell has unleashed a bunch of trolls at me claiming they're Shiv Sena. Now, I am pretty sure the Shiv Sena, has better things to take care of in Maharashtra right now, than some comic doing her job."
"Also, while they are flooding my timeline here, trying to enter my private online platforms like Insta, they also published comedian @lolmanKhan's number, claiming it's mine. @BJP4India is just using Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's name to silence us," she said.
She added, "One look at my timeline and you'll see these followers flooding my mentions with filth. No follower of a great warrior will ever stoop to this filth. I know it's you, @BJP4India. It's really obvious. Your bhakhts have a very distinct vocabulary for women. I know who you are :)"
Meanwhile, Joshua on Friday apologized for hurting the sentiments of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's followers and said that video was taken down. "I am sorry for having hurt the sentiments of the many followers of the great leader Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. My heartfelt apologies to followers of the great leader, who I sincerely respect. The video has already been taken down. Please amplify," she tweeted.
