You can't arrest people for bad jokes: Chetan Bhagat backs Tanmay Bhat over Snapchat video row

Mumbai police has initiated a probe on a complaint against comedian Tanmay Bhat's video of a mock conversation with Lata Mangeshkar and Sachin Tendulkar that has sparked a massive outrage with the Shiv Sena, BJP and MNS today demanding action against him and AIB. The inquiry is underway against Bhat on a complaint by Raj Thackeray's Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), which has also threatened to beat him up.

Bollywood has also reacted sharply to the comedian's portrayal of the music and cricket icons with many actors slamming the video made by a member of online comedy group AIB, saying it is in poor taste. Titled "Sachin v/s Lata Civil War", Tanmay, in a video posted on Facebook on May 26, took jibes at the 86-year-old melody queen and the 43-year-old cricketing legend.

Taking strong exception to the video, the Shiv Sena asked Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to take stringent action against AIB and Bhat for allegedly seeking to vitiate social harmony by mocking the national legends.

However, Tanmay Bhat found some support from bestselling author Chetan Bhagat who wrote on Twitter "You cannot arrest people for making jokes. Even if the jokes are bad. Really."

Incidentally, Bhatt and co had mocked Chetan Bhagat, in their infamous roast where Karan Johar mocked Arjun Kapoor. Karan Johar had said: “Arjun...you flunked your 12th standard...and you got to play an IIM student in 2 States. But you're so illiterate that the only IIM student you could play was Chetan Bhagat.”