Hyderabad: Another stand up comedian, Rafiq, has been arrested by the Andhra Pradesh police for jokes on AP Deputy Chief Minister and Tollywood actor Pawan Kalyan and state IT minister Nara Lokesh. His arrest comes just two days after comedian Anudeep Katikala was also arrested from Allahabad by the Kakinada police for jokes he cracked on Kalyan as well.
Sources close to Rafiq told Siasat.com that the standup comedian had come under fire from fans of Pawan Kalyan after his jokes resurfaced and were being circulated on Twitter as a result of Anudeep’s arrest that took place on April 14. On Thursday, April 16, officials from the Chilakaluru police station, reportedly turned up at Rafiq’s residence and took him into custody.
It is not certain if a lawyer was present along with Rafiq at the time of him being taken into custody. While Anudeep was taken to Kakinada by the police, his family also reached there on Thursday. The FIR against him had been registered in Kakinada against him on the basis of a complaint filed by a man named Bade Venkata Krishna of the Jana Sena Party, which is headed by Pawan Kalyan.
On social media, fans of Pawan Kalyan had even posted screenshots of Rafiq’s Instagram stories wherein he reportedly supported Anudeep after his arrest. Some even leaked his mobile number which reportedly leaving him open to abuse from fans of the Tollywood actor Pawan Kalyan.
Anudeep, 30, is based in Hyderabad, but his parents reside in Prayagraj, and he was visiting them. According to a family member, the two were out for an evening walk when a team of AP Police arrived and took the comedian into custody. The arrest came despite Katikala having already issued a public apology after his jokes drew outrage from Pawan Kalyan’s fanbase.
Katilala was booked under sections 356(2) (punishment for defamation), 353(2) (making statements in public that are likely to cause public mischief or alarm) and 79 (uttering words or making gestures intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act.
What Anudeep and Rafiq said
Trouble began first when a video of Katikala’s stand-up set circulated on YouTube. In it, he called Tollywood actor Ram Charan a “feminist” – framing it as a compliment – for appearing unbothered by the fact that his wife Upasana is wealthier than him. He then joked that people should take a leaf from Pawan Kalyan’s book when it came to divorce, noting that neither of Kalyan’s two ex-wives had accused him of abuse.
Ram Charan is the son of Tollywood veteran Chiranjeevi, while Pawan Kalyan is Chiranjeevi’s younger brother. The videos drew immediate and, in some cases, violent threats from fans. Katikala subsequently apologised, telling The News Minute on April 12 that his intent had been to normalise feminism and the idea of divorce. “The video includes a joke on Jr NTR, who I am a fan of,” he said.
Rafiq is his sets from videos floating online (the date of performance is unclear), can be seen taking shots at Nara Lokesh while commenting in general on politicians. In another video he talks about Kalyan mentioning his divorces. It is this joke in all likelihood that did not go down well with fans. It is not certain under what sections Rafiq has been booked. The report will be updated once more details are available.
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