Sumukhi Suresh condemns online abuse against female comics: 'You won't be allowed to think you can violate our bodies'

Two days after comedian Agrima Joshua received continued rape threats after an old video of her act containing a joke about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj resurfaced on social media, fellow comic Sumukhi Suresh took to Twitter, lambasting online abuse against women, especially those working in the field of entertainment.

You are NOT allowed to rape and threaten to rape us.

You are NOT allowed to sexually assault and threaten to do that.

You canNOT say “we respect ladies” and then tell us to “shut up or we will rape you and your mothers on the road”.

— Sumukhi Suresh (@sumukhisuresh) July 12, 2020

Sumukhi wrote that the silence of a person does not equate weakness and in no way should invite dangerous threats. "We seem quiet because we are working hard to make a mark in our field and we don't want anything stopping us," she added. Apart from Suresh, several artists within the entertainment fraternity have condemned the abuse being directed at Joshua for making an allegedly hurtful joke about a Shivaji Maharaj statue set to be erected in the Arabian Sea, and the reactions to the development on the question-and-answer forum, Quora. Apart from the despicable threats issued to Joshua, the Mumbai venue where the set was originally performed and recorded, The Habitat, was vandalised by miscreants in protest. Soon after a video of a man threatening Joshua began circulating online, the National Commission for Women took cognizance and wrote to Gujarat Police, calling for immediate action.

Keeping in line with #NCW's commitment towards ensuring safety of #women online, our Chairperson @sharmarekha has written to @dgpgujarat for taking immediate action against Shubham Mishra, the man hurling abuses against a female comedian in this video.@kunalkamra88 @SaketGokhale https://t.co/6zfr6IEbyX — NCW (@NCWIndia) July 11, 2020

Additionally, Joshua's resurfaced video prompted Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik to write to Home Minister Anil Deshmukh, demanding Joshua's arrest. "Some comedian named Agrima Joshua has made contemptuous comments against Shivaji Maharaj while presenting her comedy. I saw the video and I feel she doesn't have respect for Shivaji Maharaj or she doesn't know about him," he wrote on Twitter.

On 10 July, Joshua posted an apology for "having hurt the sentiments of the great leader Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj".

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. — Agrima Joshua 🇮🇳 (@Agrimonious) July 10, 2020