Incessant trolling, harassment of family and friends, and vandalisation — this is the treatment that stand-up comedians in India have been subjected to, especially in the past week. While it started with trolling directed at Kenny Sebastian for a tweet on TikTok, things took a nasty turn after an old video of Agrima Joshua, who had supported him, was dug up. In the video, Joshua can be seen mocking misinformation that abounds online, surrounding the construction of the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj statue. Alleging that she insulted the national icon and hurt their sentiments, a certain section of social media users then started abusing her, and two men were arrested for threatening to rape her. Since then, the comics who've supported her have also been targetted, and Khar-based venue, The Habitat, where the video was shot, was recently vandalised by MNS supporters.

Agrima Joshua