4 days ago
Samay Raina Faces Fresh Backlash Over Bihar-Kashmir Jokes
Samay Raina and Sharon Verma joked about each other’s backgrounds on a comedy show.
Samay made jokes about Sharon being from Bihar and moving to Mumbai for work.
Sharon made jokes about Samay being Kashmiri and referred to “getting stoned.”
She also said she had left her state by choice, which critics connected to the displacement of Kashmiri Pandits.
The audience and other panel members reportedly laughed during the exchange.
Several politicians said the jokes were insulting to people from Bihar and Kashmiri Pandits.
Some critics said the comments made light of forced displacement and community suffering.
Other leaders said the comedians were trying to make people laugh and should be addressed through dialogue.
Raina and Verma had not publicly responded to the criticism described in the reports.
Samay Raina and Sharon Verma exchanged jokes about their Bihari and Kashmiri backgrounds on Season 2 of India's Got Latent.
The exchange included references to Bihari migration for work, Kashmiri identity, drug-related wordplay, and displacement from Kashmir.
The episode was released on Friday, and clips prompted criticism from politicians, activists, and members of the public.
BJP leaders Ram Kadam, Mithilesh Tiwari, and Altaf Thakur called the remarks objectionable, with Thakur demanding an apology.
Other leaders said humour should not insult communities, while AAP leader Sanjay Singh urged dialogue rather than targeting the comedians.
- Who
- Comedians Samay Raina and Sharon Verma, along with BJP leaders, other politicians, and Kashmiri Pandit activists.
- What
- A controversy over jokes about Bihari and Kashmiri identities during an episode of India's Got Latent.
- Where
- The exchange took place on India's Got Latent; reactions were reported from Mumbai, Bihar, New Delhi, and Jammu and Kashmir.
- When
- The Season 2 episode was released on Friday, with political reactions reported on Saturday; one report dates the reactions to August 29, 2026.
- Why
- Critics said the remarks were derogatory and insensitive to caste, regional identity, and Kashmiri Pandit displacement, while supporters of the comedy context viewed them as banter intended to make people laugh.
Critics’ View
Comedy-Context View
Whether the exchange crossed a line
Critics’ View
BJP leaders, several opposition politicians, Kashmiri Pandit activists, and a community member said the jokes were derogatory, objectionable, or insensitive to regional and community identities.
Comedy-Context View
The exchange was presented as mutual roasting between two comedians, and reports said the panel and audience laughed during it.
References to Kashmiri Pandit displacement
Critics’ View
Critics said the line about leaving a state by choice made light of the circumstances in which Kashmiri Pandits were forced to leave Kashmir and the suffering that followed.
Comedy-Context View
The reports do not provide a direct explanation from Sharon Verma or Samay Raina about the intent behind the remarks, but they describe the comments as part of dark-humour banter.
How authorities and the public should respond
Critics’ View
Ram Kadam called for stronger legal action and suggested that social-media users could temporarily ban people who hurt religious or community sentiments; some leaders also called for an apology or restrictions on obscenity.
Comedy-Context View
AAP leader Sanjay Singh said comedians generally intend to make people laugh, may sometimes make mistakes, and should be approached through dialogue rather than being targeted.
Key facts
- Programme
- India's Got Latent Season 2
- Comedians
- Samay Raina and Sharon Verma
- Other episode participants
- Orry, Archana Puran Singh, and Nishant Suri
- Remarks
- The exchange referred to Bihari identity, migration for employment, Kashmiri identity, “getting stoned,” and leaving a state by choice.
- Political criticism
- BJP leaders said derogatory remarks against communities were unacceptable; Ram Kadam suggested temporary social-media bans for people making such comments.
- Community response
- Kashmiri Pandit activists said the exchange trivialised displacement, exile, ethnic cleansing, and community suffering.
- Apology demand
- Jammu and Kashmir BJP spokesperson Altaf Thakur demanded an apology from whoever made the remarks.
- Earlier controversy
- Reports said a 2024 episode involving Ranveer Allahbadia led to complaints, police questioning, and cases that the Supreme Court later cancelled.
Quotes
Mithilesh Tiwari
Bihar education minister who condemned the comments
“We need to understand that the deities of Sanatan Hinduism and Kashmiri Pandits cannot be treated as subjects of ridicule. Someone cannot deliberately do something offensive and then simply apologise afterwards. In the meantime, they get the publicity they wanted across the country for free.”
freepressjournal.in
“Any derogatory remark against any citizen of our country is unacceptable. Those who make such remarks are talking about breaking the country. We are people who dream of an Akhand Bharat, and for us, the king and the commoner are equal.”
freepressjournal.in
thehansindia.com
NDTV
Sources
'Ban Kar Diya Jaaye...': Samay Raina's India's Got Latent Season 2 Sparks Controversy Over Remarks On Biharis & Kashmiris; BJP Leaders Upset
Their sole objective is to become famous: BJP slams Samay Raina over remarks on Kashmiri Pandits, people from Bihar
Samay Raina faces fresh controversy over Bihar-Kashmir jokes on ‘India’s Got Latent’
Samay Raina's New 'Latent' Row Involves Banter On Kashmiri Roots
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