Stand-up comedian Pranit More was allegedly assaulted in Maharashtra's Solapur by a group of men claiming to Bollywood debutante Veer Pahariya's fans. In a social media post by the comedian's team, the "horrifying incident" took place on Sunday evening after the comedian's performance at Solapur's 24K Kraft Brewzz. His team claimed that a group of 11-12 men, posing as fans, brutally attacked him, punching and kicking him repeatedly, leaving him injured. Pranit More's team identified one of the attackers as Tanveer Shaikh, the leader of the group, who, along with his gang, allegedly targeted him for making jokes about the Bollywood actor.
"The leader of this attack was Tanveer Shaikh, and his gang made it clear why they were doing this, they wanted to silence Pranit for making jokes about Bollywood debutante Veer Pahariya. One of them even threatened, 'Agli Baar Veer Paharaiya baba pe joke maarke dikha! (Next time, try making a joke on Veer Paharaiya)' - a clear warning that worse consequences would follow if he dared to joke about him again," the post read.
The comedian's team claimed that the venue of the show, 24K Kraft Brewzz, had no security, and despite them requesting access to CCTV camera footage, the management denied it. The comedian alleged that the police were also contacted, but no help arrived at the scene.
In response, Veer Pahariya, who recently made his debut with Akshay Kumar-starrer Sky Force, expressed shock over the incident and apologised to the comedian.
"Shocked and deeply saddened by what happened, Pranit. I want to make it absolutely clear that I had no involvement in this and strongly condemn any form of violence. I've always taken trolling in stride and would never encourage harm toward anyone, especially a fellow artist. I'm truly sorry this happened to you, and I will do whatever I can to ensure those responsible are held accountable. Sending you strength," the actor wrote in the comments section.
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Separately, the venue of the show 24K Kraft Brewzz also issued a clarification on the incident. "We are deeply saddened by the incident that took place and want to clarify a few details. The event was organized by an external artist management team, and while the venue was not responsible for the arrangements, our priority in that moment was ensuring the safety of everyone involved. Our team acted swiftly and securely rescued the artist from the situation to prevent any further escalation," the restaurant said.
"We do not condone violence in any form and believe that such matters should be handled through the appropriate legal channels only. We are fully cooperating with all the parties on all security matters to ensure a safe environment for everyone. We stand in support of ensuring safety and respect for all," it added.
After the post went viral, the Solapur police summoned Pranit More to record his statement but he did not turn up, an official said on Wednesday. Subsequently, police registered a case on the complaint by the owner of a restaurant where the comedian had performed.
