BJP MLA’s threats force comedian to cancel Hyderabad show after joke about Jain community

Comedian Daniel Fernandes on Saturday cancelled a stand-up performance in Telangana’s Hyderabad after receiving threats from a BJP MLA about a joke he had made about the Jain community.

In a clip from a performance he had posted on social media, Fernandes had made a joke about some members of the Jain community who disguised themselves as Muslims to buy goats in Delhi’s Chandni Chowk ahead of the Muslim festival of Bakra Eid.

According to a report by The Print, some members of the Jain community had paid Rs 15 lakh to buy 124 goats to “save” them from being slaughtered.

Within hours of the video being posted, Fernandes’ Instagram post was filled with angry comments. On Friday, he posted a statement on Instagram saying he would remove the joke.

On Saturday, Bharatiya Janata Party leader T Raja Singh from Hyderabad said in a video that if Fernandes did not cancel the show, “our workers will come there and thrash you”.

Singh, the MLA from the Goshamahal constituency, also urged the Hyderabad Police to cancel the comedian’s show. “If not, everyone will remember the state we will make of him so that no one will ever make a joke on the Jain community or Hinduism,” he said.

Fernandes apologised to the Jain community and said that...

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