Mumbai’s Habitat Studio, a venue for stand-up comedy, has shut its doors after Shiv Sena workers vandalised the premises on Sunday night.
Their target: comic Kunal Kamra, whose jokes about Maharashtra deputy chief minister and Sena leader Eknath Shinde triggered the attack.
But this is just the latest in Shiv Sena’s long history of unleashing force to silence dissent and assert its dominance.
Wankhede Stadium, 1991: Cricket as collateral damage
In October 1991, Shiv Sena workers stormed Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium and dug up the pitch to stop Pakistan from playing against India. The act of sabotage forced the cancellation of not just the Mumbai Test but the entire series. With pickaxes and shovels, the Sainiks destroyed the turf two days before the scheduled match, making it unplayable.
The India-Pakistan Test series was cancelled after this incident.
BCCI office attack, 1999: Wrecking India’s glory
In 1999, Sena workers ransacked the Board of Cricket Control in India headquarters at Churchgate, Mumbai. They damaged several trophies, including the 1983 World Cup—the symbol of India’s historic cricketing triumph.
Ferozeshah Kotla pitch vandalism, 1999: Snakes and sabotage
In January 1999, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, a strong proponent of cricket diplomacy, facilitated a two-match Test series between India and Pakistan after a decade-long gap. Cricket lovers were excited for the Sachin Tendulkar vs Wasim Akram showdown. However, Shiv Sena once again disrupted the game.
Around 25 Sainiks stormed Delhi’s Ferozeshah Kotla stadium, the venue for the first Test, and dug up the pitch. Following the incident, Shiv Sena declared they would “go to any extent” to stop Pakistani cricketers from playing in India.
The first Test was shifted to Chennai, where the crowd welcomed both teams with warmth.
For the second Test in Delhi, the BCCI had to take extraordinary precautions. With Shiv Sena threatening to release venomous snakes on the field, the BCCI hired 20-odd snake-charmers and stationed them inside the stadium. The match was eventually conducted without disruption.
Media assault, 2009: Muzzling the press
November 2009 saw Sena’s assault on the press. Around 15 Sainiks stormed the IBN7 and IBN Lokmat offices in Mumbai’s Vikhroli, attacking journalists and vandalising property.
Sandeep Chavan, a journalist from IBN Lokmat, confirmed that several reporters were injured. The attackers had one warning: stop criticising Shiv Sena.
Mumbai Police arrested 17 Shiv Sena activists in connection with the incident.
Fire screening protests, 1998: Cinema under siege
In December 1998, Sena’s women’s wing, Mahila Aghadi, led by MLA R. Mirlekar, went on a rampage at Mumbai’s Cinemax theatre. The target: Fire, a film directed by Deepa Mehta that featured a lesbian relationship between two characters portrayed by Shabana Azmi and Nandita Das.
The protesters smashed glass panes, burned posters, and forced the screening to stop.
The violence spread to Delhi, where Sena workers stormed Regal Cinema, tearing down posters and shattering windows.
State culture minister Pramod Navalkar had backed the protesters, while then chief minister Manohar Joshi congratulated them, saying, “I congratulate them for what they have done. The film’s theme is alien to our culture.”
Sudheendra Kulkarni attack, 2015: Book launches with black paint
In October 2015, Shiv Sena workers attacked Sudheendra Kulkarni, smearing black paint on his face in broad daylight.
Kulkarni, who was the former aide of L.K.Advani and the then head of the Observer Research Foundation, had organised the book launch of former Pakistan foreign minister Khurshid Kasuri’s Neither a Hawk nor a Dove in Mumbai, despite threats from the Sena.
BJP chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, had dared Sena to stop the launch. The next morning, Sena workers intercepted Kulkarni outside his home and painted his face black—just hours before the book launch.
Despite threats, Kulkarni went ahead with the event.
Airport signage vandalism, 2021: Corporate targets in crossfire
In August 2021, Sena (by then split, with Eknath Shinde faction retaining the party symbol) workers targeted Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport over its renaming as 'Adani Airport.' Enraged by the corporate branding, they defaced signboards bearing the Adani name near the airport, making their opposition clear through vandalism.
Whether it’s a cricket pitch, a newsroom, a film theatre, or a comedy stage, Shiv Sena has often shown that it prefers fists over dialogue. Kamra and Habitat Studio are only the latest in a long list of victims.