12 arrested for assaulting comedian Pranit over Veer Pahariya jokes
What's the story
In a shocking incident, stand-up comedian Pranit More (RJ Pranit) was allegedly assaulted by a group of 12 people after his performance in Solapur, Maharashtra.
The attackers were reportedly miffed with More's jokes on actor Veer Pahariya during the show.
The incident took place at the 24K Kraft Brewzz venue where More had just finished his set.
The police have now registered a case against these 12 people based on a complaint by the restaurant owner.
Online revelation
More shared his ordeal on social media
After the assault, More took to Instagram to share details of his harrowing experience.
He revealed the group "brutally attacked him, punching and kicking him repeatedly."
In a detailed account of the incident, he identified Tanveer Shaikh as the leader of this attack.
The comedian also mentioned a threat made by one of the attackers: "Agli Baar Veer Pahariya baba pe joke maarke dikha! (Try making a joke about Veer Pahariya next time, then you will see)."
Actor's response
Pahariya expressed shock and condemned the violence
Pahariya, the grandson of former Maharashtra CM Sushilkumar Shinde who recently appeared in Sky Force, took to Instagram to address the incident.
He said he was shocked and saddened by what happened to More, adding that he had nothing to do with it.
"I strongly condemn any form of violence," he wrote. "As someone who has always taken trolling in stride...I would never encourage or support harm toward anyone."
Actor's pledge
Pahariya pledged to hold perpetrators accountable
In a follow-up Instagram Story, Pahariya also apologized to More and his fans. "I am deeply sorry...No one deserves this," he wrote.
Meanwhile, More's team alleged that he was accosted by a group of 11-12 people pretending to be fans wanting to click pictures with him after his show. But instead of clicking pictures, the men assaulted him.
The venue reportedly had no security and despite requests to access CCTV camera footage by More's team, the management denied it.