On Monday, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) began a demolition drive at The Habitat Studio at the Unicontinental Hotel in Khar, citing civic rule violation.
The action has been noticed as The Habitat Studio had hosted stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra's recent show, where he had made controversial comments about Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister, Eknath Shinde.
BMC officials, armed with hammers, reached the site at noon to conduct the demolition. Although the nature of the violations has not been revealed, sources indicate that the studio was purportedly functioning in an encroached area between two hotels.
This demolition follows an incident in which Shiv Sena workers vandalized The Habitat Studio after Kamra called Shinde a "traitor." 12 people, including Shiv Sena leader Rahul Kanal, have been arrested so far in connection with the attack.
With BMC elections looming, the civic body is now being run by an IAS officer, with considerable influence from the ruling coalition.
Following the destruction and the incidents that followed, The Habitat Studio closed indefinitely. The management made a statement, citing shock and disappointment at the recent acts of vandalism. They stated that they were not responsible for the opinions aired by artists who performed in their venue.
"We are shocked, concerned, and distressed by the acts of vandalism that have been targeted against us. Artists alone are responsible for their artistic expression. We never censored what was performed on our stage. But these incidents have made us question how we are being held accountable and singled out, virtually as a proxy for the artist," the statement from the studio said.
The management also added that the studio would stay closed until they could find a means of still offering a platform for free speech without putting themselves at risk.
The Habitat Studio also distanced itself from Kamra's infamous video, indicating that they had nothing to do with its creation and did not support its content. The studio made a public apology to people offended by Kamra's comments.
The row started when Kamra uploaded a video on his YouTube channel in which he had edited the lyrics of a song from the Bollywood movie Dil To Pagal Hai to ridicule Eknath Shinde. The couplet, "Meri nazar se tum dekho to gaddar nazar wo aaye. Haaye," was received with applause from the audience but upset the ruling Shiv Sena party strongly.
