Wtf is happening to Kunal Kamra?

Written by: Aarthi Ramnath, Raghav Bikhchandani & Yash Budhwar

Wtf is happening to Kunal Kamra?

The context: On March 23, Kunal Kamra released his new stand-up comedy special ‘Naya Bharat’—which included satirical twists on classic Bollywood songs. One of these pissed off Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena—who demanded Kamra’s arrest for referring to their leader as a ‘gaddar’. To make sure he got the message, Shiv Sena workers also ransacked the venue—a Mumbai comedy club inside a hotel—where his special was filmed. You can watch the offending song below:

Release the FIRs! At least four FIRs have been filed against Kamra under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita—the new penal code that makes its colonial predecessor look tame. The charges include:

Section 353(1)(b): Publishing or circulating any false information or statement that intends to cause fear or alarm in the public.
Section 353 (2): Publishing or circulating any false information or statement that intends to spread hatred among the public on the basis of religion, caste etc.
Section 356 (2): Defamation.

All crimes committed under Section 353 carry a maximum jail term of three years— those invoked by Section 356 carry a maximum of two years.

Kamra makes a good point: In response to the hullabaloo over the ‘gaddar’ remark, he simply said:

I will not apologise. What I said is exactly what Mr. Ajit Pawar (1st deputy CM) said about Mr. Eknath Shinde (2nd deputy CM). I don’t fear this mob and I won’t be hiding under my bed, waiting for this to die down.

Inconvenient clips soon went viral—proving his point. For example: this old video of Ajit Pawar saying the following in Marathi: "Even small kids also know '50-khoke ekdam ok'. When people hear the siren (of vehicle), they say look '50 crore person, gaddar (traitor) is going.'"

Yet the police perseveres: Mumbai Police has issued summons to Kamra thrice—only to be ignored by him. Kamra instead approached the Madras High Court, which granted him interim protection from arrest. Happily for Kamra, he is now a “permanent resident” of Tamil Nadu—and beyond the clutches of overeager Mumbai cops.

Where we are now: As always, Indian companies have jumped in to lend the police a helping hand. They can’t arrest him—but they can do their best to destroy Kamra’s career. The first stone was cast by Bookmyshow—which scrubbed all information on Kamra and his shows from their platform over the weekend—Soviet style:

Now you see him, now you don’t! The valiant step was taken soon after Shiv Sena youth leader Rahool Kanal politely warned that "continuing to facilitate ticket sales for his events could… have serious repercussions for public sentiment and order in the city." Or perhaps order in Bookmyshow’s offices?

The ‘only in India’ bit: Even as Bookmyshow PR folks were stoutly denying delisting Kamra, Kanal wrote to the company CEO Ashish Hemrajani, saying:

I am writing to express my sincere gratitude for your continued support of your team to take the said artist out of your sale and promotion listing, thank you for even taking him out of the BookMyShow search history. Your belief in maintaining peace and at the same time respecting our emotions has been instrumental.

Why this is a big deal: Bookmyshow is the maha maharajah of all live events—with a 75% market share as of December 2024. Rivals like Zomato’s District—which still lists Kamra—are a distant #2.

Reminder: Previous such cases include Canadian singer Shubhdeep—who was delisted for sharing a map of India—minus Punjab and Kashmir—on his Instagram stories. Outside India, Kevin Spacey was similarly erased by Netflix when he was accused of sexual harassment on the sets of ‘House of Cards’.

What’s next: Kamra has now approached the Bombay High Court—challenging the Mumbai police FIRs—which, he claims, violate at least three fundamental rights. The case is listed for hearing on April 21.

Reading list: India Today has more on Bookmyshow’s actions. Indian Express has the latest legal state of play. CNN has the best summary of Kamra’s history of ruffling feathers.

Signs of life: ‘Hands Off’ protests sweep America

When Donald Trump marched back into the White House for the second time, liberals of every stripe crawled into a deep, dark hole of depression (who can blame them). But Trump's tariff terrorism seems to have sparked them back to life. Over the weekend, tens of thousands poured onto the streets once again—in the first display of real dissent since Trump took office:

Over 1,400 “Hands Off!” mass-action protests were held at state capitols, federal buildings, congressional offices, Social Security’s headquarters, parks and city halls throughout the entire country.

This was the scene in Boston:

Even cities like Salt Lake City in red states were kinda riled up:

What’s notable: Liberals have come out in droves in the past—often to little effect (see: abortion, Iraq war etc). This time, the usual Democrat issues—like immigration and abortion—were relegated to the backburner. It wasn’t ‘Hands Off’ my body—but ‘Hands Off’ my wallet and/or pension fund. These protests are sparked by economic pain—not ideological indignation. The collective fear of spiraling inflation, plunging stock market and slashing of social security—has united older Americans—including retirees—and young people:

"I've been working for over 40 years, and I looked at my investments yesterday — my retirement plan — and I literally don't think I'll ever be able to retire," [Dorothy Auer, 62] said... Jian, 33, held a sign that read, "Tariffs are killing my 401(k)," but he told me he's most upset about what's happening to his retired father. "My dad just lost about 25% of his savings in the last three days because of the tariffs," he said.

Btw, those angry senior citizens were kinda spicy lol:

Also excellent, this gratuitous crack at Elon:

If you prefer something a little milder:

Reading list: CNN has a good overview. Business Insider has coverage from various protest sites but it’s paywalled. Check out Al Jazeera and BBC on why the 2017 protests largely failed. Washington Post reports on angry conservatives who are challenging Trump’s tariffs in the courts.

Video footage of an Israeli massacre

Editor’s note: Yesterday, we were going over read/open data for splainer’s daily editions—and noticed that our Advisory does way better than headlines. To which a team member said: ‘Well, our headlines are depressing. Like there’s so much Israel…’. Well, we think it’s our job to track gross injustice across the world—and you should feel free to scroll past if you don’t feel up to witnessing the carnage. Btw, this item is especially important—and especially bad. So no, we’re not changing a thing.

What happened: On March 23 in south Gaza, 15 emergency workers were killed by Israeli forces. The event came to light about a week ago—flagged by the UN—when the bodies were found:

Five ambulances, a fire truck and a UN vehicle were struck "one by one" in the al-Hashashin area on 23 March, according to a UN official. The 15 bodies were recovered from a "mass grave" on Sunday, he said.

What the grave looked like:

The bodies of the eight paramedics, six Gaza Civil Defence workers and one UN employee were found buried in sand, along with their wrecked vehicles. It took international organisations days to negotiate safe access to the site.

The IDF denial: At the time, the Israelis denied any wrongdoing:

Israel's military said troops fired on vehicles "advancing suspiciously" without headlights or emergency signals. It said a Hamas operative and "eight other terrorists" were among those killed.

What the video shows: The mobile phone footage taken by one of the killed medics has been published by the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS). It starts when ambulances were sent out to rescue survivors of an attack in Rafah. One of them is attacked by the IDF—others are sent to rescue the stricken ambulance:

Taken from the dashboard of one vehicle, it shows several ambulances and a fire truck moving down a road through a barren area in the darkness. The emergency lights on their roofs are flashing the entire way. They arrive at an ambulance on the side of the road and stop next to it, their lights still flashing. No Israeli troops are visible. Three men in orange Civil Defence clothing can be seen getting out of the vehicles and walking toward the stopped ambulance. A shot rings out and one of the men appears to fall. Gunfire erupts.

The footage captures a barrage of gunfire that goes on for minutes—before everything goes black. Total runtime: six-minute, 40 seconds.

Also this: The bodies were found in rescue worker uniforms—with their hands and legs tied. They had clearly been shot at close range.

Israel’s response: Officials have no explanation for what happened—or why none of the killed occupants were Hamas members. They have no idea why the van or the bodies were buried. But, hey, the military has promised a full investigation.

Reading list: You can see the video below. Al Jazeera and Associated Press have details of the footage—and the fallout.

Content warning: These allegations contain descriptions of sexual harassment and may be difficult to read.

Russell Brand is charged with rape

The context: Back in September 2023, a media investigation exposed allegations of rape, sexual assault and emotional abuse against the British comedian—and now a rightwing YouTuber (?!). Turns out many editors knew about the incidents but didn’t report on them for years.

What happened now: On Friday, the London Police formally pressed charges against Russell Brand:

He is charged with the rape of a woman in 1999 in the Bournemouth area and the oral rape and sexual assault of a woman in 2004 in the Westminster area of London. He has also been charged with indecently assaulting a woman in 2001 and sexually assaulting another woman between 2004 and 2005 — both alleged to have taken place in Westminster.

Brand has denied engaging in “non-consensual” sexual activity—and shared a video trying to exonerate himself:

He is to appear in a London court on May 2.

Associated Press has more on the charges. Our Big Story has all the context you need.

Moving on to Hollywood: Screenwriter Paul Schrader—best known for ‘Taxi Driver’ and ‘Raging Bull’—has been accused of sexually harassing his former assistant. The 26-year-old plaintiff alleged that the incident happened during the premier of ‘Oh, Canada’ at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024:

In May of 2024, at the film festival, Defendant Schrader demanded Ms. Doe go to his hotel room, trapped her inside, grabbed her arms, and thrust his face into hers to kiss her against her will… Three days later, Schrader summoned his assistant to his hotel room to pack his bags, claiming he was “dying.” When Doe arrived, Schrader allegedly “opened the door to his hotel room wearing nothing but an open bathrobe with his penis fully exposed. As Ms. Doe attempted to pack Mr. Schrader’s bags in terrified silence, he repeatedly commented, ‘I am so sweaty. I sweated through the bedsheets. Feel how wet they are.’ Ms. Doe packed his bags as quickly as she could, and left.

When the plaintiff’s lawyers reached out for a settlement, Schrader backed out and never signed the deal. Schrader’s lawyer claims that the allegations are “loaded with inaccuracies” and “materially misleading.” (Rolling Stone, paywalled, Variety)

what caught our eye

business & tech

Trump’s sticking to his trade guns—new tariffs hit next week despite global backlash kicking in and JPMorgan warning the recession risk is now at 60%.
Also hurting from the tariffs—US tech industry, which could be set back a decade as analysts warn of pricier gadgets and “economic Armageddon” for the industry.
Say hello to the SonoChem system, an ingenious microwave—and winner of a space tech innovation competition—that can turn moon ice into clean drinking water.
As Trump’s trade war rattles markets, jittery investors are ditching stocks and clinging to cash—ditching “buy the dip” for “sit and wait.”
Back in India, things aren’t so bright either—credit card defaults shot up 28% last year—hitting Rs 6,742 crore—as NPAs climbed by nearly Rs 1,500 crore amid an economic slowdown.

sports & entertainment

The SRH disasterclass keeps on rolling—last year’s IPL runners-up remain at the foot of the table this time around, suffering their fourth straight defeat at the hands of the Gujarat Titans.
At the top of the table, meanwhile, are the Delhi Capitals. They made it three wins out of three by outclassing CSK in their own backyard—for the first time since 2010.
Sanju Samson’s captaincy comeback couldn’t have been bigger—RR crushed Punjab as he overtook Shane Warne to become the Royals’ most successful skipper with 32 wins.
Jasprit Bumrah is back with Mumbai Indians ahead of their RCB face-off—but it’s still unclear if he’s got the NCA green light to bowl.
When it rains, it pours for the ‘Empuraan’ team. The film’s director Prithviraj Sukumaran, and co-producer Antony Perumbavoor have been served with I-T notices, a day after the ED raided co-producer Gokulam Gopalan’s office.
Uber stock, D’ussé liquor, Roc Nation deals—Jay-Z tops Forbes as the world’s richest musician with a $2.5 billion empire.
Billionaire heir Daniel Breyer takes a swing at his own kind—debut novel satirizes the ultra-rich.
‘A Minecraft Movie’ just mined box office gold—raking in $58 million on opening day, the biggest of 2025 and the best-ever debut for a video game film.

health & environment

For 140 million Americans, Medicare and Medicaid will now be overseen by… talk show host and snake oil peddler Dr Mehmet Oz.
Gizmodo has an interesting nerdy read on why the ‘world’s loneliest whale’ may be a hybrid of fin whale and blue whale, while also serving as a dire warning on climate change’s impact on the oceans.
Thanks to global warming, rainfall in the Thar Desert is up 64%, vegetation by 38%, and it’s seen the fastest urban boom of any major desert on Earth.
Exclusive from The Indian Express: Budget cuts to an elephant conservation project at Bandhavgarh Tiger Reserve sparked a crisis—last year’s elephant deaths led to the suspension of several wildlife officials.
Bonobo chatter may be closer to our language of communication than previously thought, a new study reveals.

meanwhile, in the world

Amid the ‘Hands Off’ protests, an increasing number of US Senate Republicans are voicing support for greater congressional oversight of Trump’s tariffs.
Meanwhile, Elon Musk has expressed hope for Europe and the US moving to a zero-tariff situation.
In the latest crackdown on political dissent and pro-Palestinian protests, US authorities have revoked visas of dozens of international students at California colleges—including ten from Stanford and UC Berkeley.
In other grotesque Trump-ian news, the administration has fired US aid workers who were sent to Myanmar to assess how the US could help with earthquake relief efforts.
Making the crisis worse for the quake-hit region—relentless rains—as the death toll hits 3,471 and the UN warns of desperate survivors in need of food, water, and shelter.
Tensions flared as Israel barred two UK Labour MPs from entry, sending them back to London and sparking a diplomatic row over their planned visit to the occupied West Bank.

meanwhile, in India

Weeks after the Justice Varma fire tragedy sparked calls for transparency, only 12% of High Court judges have declared their assets—just 95 out of 769.
Tamil Nadu clocks a decade-high 9.69% growth—making it the fastest-growing state economy in India for FY 2024–25.
India and Sri Lanka have signed seven MoUs—including one in defence cooperation—following a meeting between PM Modi and President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.

Four things to see

One: Say hello to the world’s oldest first-time mommy! A 100-year-old Western Santa Cruz Giant tortoise at the Philadelphia Zoo laid 16 eggs in November—of which four have hatched! Full disclosure: Genetic engineering was involved. The zookeepers incubated half of the eggs at a temperature that produces males and the other half at a temperature that produces females. Only female eggs have hatched so far. FYI: These are a subspecies of Galápagos tortoises—the largest tortoise species on Earth and critically endangered. (Live Science)

Two: Researchers have found a new plant species—Thismia aliasii—in the Malaysian forests. It belongs to the peculiar Thismia genus and is nicknamed the “fairy lantern” for its fantastical appearance. Sadly, it is also critically endangered thanks to hiking and mountaineering activities in the region—which are destroying the plant’s habitat. (Gizmodo)

Three: Gear up for ‘The Naked Gun’ reboot—with Liam Neeson playing the cop! The ‘Taken’ actor plays Frank Drebin Jr—son of Leslie Nielsen’s character from the OG 1988 movie. Also starring: Pamela Anderson and Paul Walter Hauser. The movie is slated for August 1. (Hollywood Reporter)

Four: This beautiful rendition of AR Rahman’s ‘Kehna Hi Kya’ by a Lebanese choir from Saint Joseph University in Beirut has gone viral. The event was part of a production called ‘Colours of India’ and was performed back in December. You can check out the choir’s Insta here.