Kiku Sharda row: Ram Rahim Singh says 'no complaint' if comedian apologises

Reacting to the row over comedian Kiku Sharda’s arrest by the Haryana police, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh said that there was “no complaint” from his side if he apologised for his actions. He further said he had been busy in a shoot and that he recently came to know that “devotees are hurt” because of the incident. Meanwhile, Bollywood celebrities like Farah Khan, Kapil Sharma and Vir Das among others on Wednesday took to Twitter to express their displeasure over the arrest of comedian Kiku Sharda for allegedly hurting the sentiments of the followers of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda leader. Kiku, best known for his role of Palak on Kapil’s TV show Comedy Nights With Kapil, has been sent to 14-day judicial custody. [caption id=“attachment_2582766” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Gurmeet Ram Rahim. File photo. PTI[/caption] Without making any direct comment, Farah showed support for Kiku by posting an image, which read, “You found it offensive?… I found it funny… That’s why I am happier than you.” She captioned the photo as, “#KikuSharda.” Kapil, the host and the producer of Comedy Nights With Kapil, showed support for Kiku. “I request Sant Ram Rahim Singh ji ‘INSAAN’ to come out in the media in this case and set a beautiful example of humanity by supporting an artist, who is just working to spread happiness in the world. Come, let’s work together for happiness and peace,” Kapil tweeted. Vir, known for his comic performances in films and stand-up acts, slammed Kiku’s arrest in a series of tweets. “Congratulations India on speedily arresting someone for comedy. Now maybe you can do the same for actual crime soon…Let’s get something straight. If you are offended by any comedy and take it seriously. It means you don’t understand what comedy is. The essence of parody humour is outrageousness that cannot under any circumstances be taken seriously.” he said. TV host Mini Mathur joined in the debate, tweeting, “Again.. We are so easy to offend.” Actor-comedian Sunil Grover, who plays Kiku’s character Palak’s sister Gutthi on Comedy Nights With Kapil, tweeted, “Palak aaj Ghar aa jayegi. Aa ja bhen. Aa ja. Kuch aur karte hain (Palak will be home today. Come sister, let us do something else).” “Not sure if they got the correct COMIC! RIP tolerance/ sense of humuor/freedom of speech. @kikusharda,” wrote actor Nakul Mehta. In his usual sarcastic style, filmmaker Shirish Kunder posted, “Changing my bio to ‘Godman’. I’ve 2.47 lakh followers. Anyone making fun of me will now be arrested under section 295A of IPC.”

With inputs from PTI