Overview
- The Hyderabad comedian Sarat Uday’s set in Koramangala was halted Saturday when men who said they backed the Telugu Desam Party went on stage, abused him, and demanded a fresh apology.
- Video from the venue shows the group pressing him to chant party slogans, which he refused, while he repeated an apology and heard threats described as a final warning.
- Koramangala police said Monday they reached the club after the men left and that neither the artist nor the organiser filed a complaint, so no case has been opened.
- TDP state president Palla Srinivasa Rao condemned the disruption and told party workers to use legal channels for grievances, distancing the party from the stage protest.
- The confrontation followed online circulation of Sarat’s December 2024 ‘Andhra Politics’ video and comes after April arrests of comics Anudeep Katikala and Rafiq Muhammad over Pawan Kalyan jokes, fueling concern about a chilling effect on satire.