Over the past decade, writers, journalists, and creative artists in India have found themselves increasingly trapped in the cross-hairs of a ruthless right-wing media machinery and its enforcers.

What starts as a single voice—often a self-appointed guardian of propriety or a politically motivated zealot—taking offence quickly snowballs into a vicious onslaught. A pack of hounds is unleashed, demanding retractions, bans, or worse. The latest target is comedian Kunal Kamra, now facing a police investigation in Mumbai for possible defamation over a skit mocking Eknath Shinde, Maharashtra’s second-highest elected leader and a key ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This isn’t a one-off; it’s a glaring symptom of a deeper malaise eroding free expression in India.

Kamra’s offence? A parody song posted on Instagram, where he lampooned Shinde, branding him a “traitor”—a barb that struck a raw nerve with Shinde’s Shiv Sena party. By Sunday, party workers had stormed and vandalised the studio where he’d performed, while lawmaker Naresh Mhaske issued a chilling threat: “You will be forced to flee India.”

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis joined the fray, demanding an apology while offering a hollow nod to freedom of expression, tempered by the warning that “recklessness will not be tolerated.”

The Habitat Comedy Club, where Kamra had taken the stage, has since closed its doors, its management left “shocked, worried and extremely broken” by the attack, unsure how to keep providing a space for voices without risking ruin.

Kamra, silent on the investigation, posted a defiant image on Instagram: himself with the Indian Constitution, captioned, “The only way forward.”

This episode fits a grim pattern. Comedians, writers, and artists—those bold enough to challenge power—routinely face arrests, cancelled gigs, and mob fury, whether for skewering politicians, touching on religion, or questioning sacred national figures. Kamra is no stranger to this, having long drawn the wrath of the so-called ‘nationalist’ groups, and the ‘Modi Minions’ for his sharp political satire.

But this isn’t just about one comedian. It’s about a creative landscape under relentless assault, where the right-wing media inflates every perceived slight into a national scandal, and its political allies deploy legal threats and street violence to smother dissent.

The Indian Constitution, which Kamra held up in his post, promises freedom of speech. Unfortunately, that promise feels more like a fading echo. The Shiv Sena’s rampage, Mhaske’s menacing words, and Fadnavis’s pious reprimand aren’t outliers—they’re part of a decade-long campaign to cow artists into submission. The right-wing media thrives on this vicious cycle: a spark of outrage, a firestorm of indignation, and a crackdown dressed up as righteousness.

India isn’t alone in wrestling with censorship, but the toxic cocktail here—of state muscle, partisan press, and thuggery on the ground—sets it apart. Merely posing difficult questions or cracking a joke now invites not debate, but destruction.

This isn’t about absolving every word Kamra speaks—humour can sting, and artists must reckon with the fallout of their craft. But when critique turns into coercion, when studios are trashed and lives upended, we lose far more than a laugh. We lose the space to reflect, argue, and evolve.

The Habitat Comedy Club’s closure is a stark reminder: creativity can’t flourish when fear dictates the stage. In other corners of the world, artists push boundaries with daring ideas, their work a dance of risk and reward. Here, that dance is interrupted by fists and threats, leaving talent stifled and voices muted.

Kamra’s gesture—clutching the Constitution—isn’t just defiance; it’s a plea. It reminds us what’s at stake: not merely his right to speak, but ours to listen, think, and respond. The right-wing machinery may howl for silence, but the fight for creative freedom is one India cannot afford to abandon.

If we let the hounds win, we’re not just losing artists—we’re losing ourselves.

FRANK KRISHNER is the author of this piece. The views are personal and do not necessarily reflect the policy of Newsnet One or the views of the staff of the organization.

  Freedom of speech, intolerance, Kunal Kamra, Media, naked truth, society