India’s long history of silencing dissent

India Today

Watch how one comedian’s hesitation reveals a bigger truth about freedom of speech in India. From banned songs to arrests over cartoons and Facebook posts, this video traces decades of censorship.

Transcript

00:00If I do stand-up political comedy, how would you feel?

00:03Me?

00:04Yes.

00:05I would feel good. It would be fun.

00:06Yes, so for your personal pleasure, I will not spoil my career.

00:09In India, freedom of speech is sacred unless it offends someone powerful.

00:14Yes, so for your personal pleasure, I will not spoil my career.

00:17In the 1970s, Kishore Kumar songs were banned from all India radio

00:21after he refused to participate in a musical program aimed at promoting government schemes.

00:26Sanjay Gandhi of the Congress was to blame for that one.

00:29In 2012, cartoonist Aseem Trivedi was jailed because his cartoon mocked political corruption.

00:34That same year in Mumbai, Shaheen Dhada posted a Facebook comment questioning the city shutdown

00:40after Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray's death, advocating instead to honour freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh.

00:46She and her friend Renu Srinivasan, who merely liked the post,

00:50were swiftly arrested under Section 66A, sparking nationwide fury.

00:54The Supreme Court had to intervene, eventually dismissing the charges, another clear abuse of power.

00:59In 2018, renowned Carnatic singer T.M. Krishna found his concert abruptly cancelled

01:04by right-wing groups upset by his outspoken political views.

01:07In 2020, Mumbai witnessed a shocking assault on retired Navy officer Madan Sharma

01:12whose only crime was sharing a cartoon mocking then-Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray.

01:17That same year, Sameer Thakkar learned the hard way about humour limits in Maharashtra

01:22after calling Uddhav Thackeray's son, Aditya, a baby penguin online.

01:26Thacker faced multiple FIRs, arrests and jail time,

01:29turning the hashtag baby penguin into a trending solidarity cry against censorship.

01:34Actress Ketaki Chitle faced even harsher consequences in 2022

01:37for sharing a poem critical of Sharad Pawar,

01:40landing her over 40 days in jail and 22 FIRs before the Bombay High Court intervened.

01:45In 2025, comedian Kunal Kamra was under fire for a joke about Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde

01:51as outrage grew and old video of poet Rahat Indore resurfaced.

01:56At a Mushaira during the emergency, he recalls reading the line,

02:00Sarkar Chor Hai.

02:01When police questioned him, he replied,

02:03I didn't say which government.

02:05The cop snapped, saying,

02:07You think we don't know?

02:08If even a joke needs police approval, what does that say about free speech in India?

02:12Let us know in the comments.

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