SRINAGAR: “Suffering and displacement of Kashmiri Pandits should not be turned into a joke”, the Jammu and Kashmir Peace Forum has criticised comedians Samay Raina and Sharon Verma over their exchange on India’s Got Latent, Season 2.In a statement on Saturday, forum chairman Satish Mahaldar said comedy could have freedom, but that freedom also came with responsibility.He said the controversy should not be used to create hostility between Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims, or between Kashmiris and Biharis.“We believe that comedy must have freedom, but freedom must also carry responsibility. Bihar is not an insult. Kashmir is not a punchline. And the displacement and suffering of Kashmiri Pandits cannot be reduced to a convenient joke, social-media clip or publicity moment.”“For more than three decades, Kashmiri Pandits have lived with the consequences of displacement, separation from ancestral homes and the loss of a sense of belonging. Even Samay Raina has publicly spoken about his family’s experience of displacement and the trauma associated with leaving Kashmir.“That is precisely why the present controversy deserves a mature response. We are not asking for censorship. We are asking for sensitivity,” said Mahaldar.“We also reject attempts to turn this controversy into hostility between Kashmiri Pandits and Kashmiri Muslims, or between Kashmiris and Biharis. No entire community should be judged by the words of an individual. Kashmir’s history is complicated and its future must be built on truth, reconciliation, justice and mutual dignity,” he added further.
What happened on India’s Got Latent?
The criticism came after Raina and Verma exchanged jokes about their respective backgrounds.Verma, who is from Bihar and Raina, a Kashmiri Pandit, were seen roasting each other over their places of origin.Raina took a dig at Verma’s Bihari roots and stereotypes about migration for work. Verma responded with a joke about Raina’s Kashmiri identity and “getting stoned”.She also said she had “atleast left her state by choice.”The exchange has since drawn criticism from several political leaders.Samajwadi Party MP Harendra Singh Malik also condemned the remarks and said comedians should be mindful of people’s sentiments.
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“They should take care of the sentiments of the people. One should not make remarks against the sentiments of the people of any region, and if they do, then it’s wrong,” Malik told ANI.(With inputs from ANI)
