Bengaluru: Stand-up comedian Vir Das’s show in Bengaluru on Thursday evening has been cancelled following protests by a right-wing group. The move came days after the Hindu Janajagruti Samiti (HJS) wrote to police demanding cancellation of the show, alleging that Das had defamed the country in the past. On Thursday morning, rightwing activists held a protest raising objections to the show.

Subbaraj Urs, president of Chowdiah Memorial Hall, where the event was scheduled, confirmed that the show had been cancelled. Tickets, priced between Rs. 2,000 and Rs. 3,500, were sold out, but buyers will now be refunded after police gave in to HJS demand not to allow the show to happen.

Posting a video on his Twitter handle, Das said: “I made this video after one of my shows, just in case any assumptions were made about my content. I have no interest in being used for headlines. I’m an artiste. I trust my art and my audience to speak for me.”

HJS state spokesperson Mohan Gowda had sent a memorandum to police on Monday, alleging the comedian had made derogatory remarks against “women, our PM and India” during a performance in the US and had presented the country in a bad light.