A stand-up comedian was physically assaulted by a group of 11-12 men for making a joke on Sky Force debutant actor Veer Pahariya. The attackers claimed to be fans of Pahariya, the comedian Pranit More said in his complaint filed online with the Solapur police. Pahariya is the grandson of former Chief Minister of Maharashtra Sushil Kumar Shinde.

Mumbai-based More was at a show in Solapur when he was assaulted.  “I was physically assaulted by these men after the show was over. They said ‘agli baar Veer Pahariya par joke marke dikhana’ and left the venue. The management of the venue has not been cooperative and they have not provided me with CCTV footage. An online complaint has been filed with the Solapur police and they are investigating the matter,” More told mid-day.

More further alleged that the man leading the assault, Tanveer Shaikh, is the personal assistant of Sushil Kumar Shinde. “Shaikh was the gang leader. He posted an apology on Instagram, but it was later pulled down,” the comedian added. Pahariya, in addition to being politically connected, also comes from a family of businessmen. He has denied his involvement in the assault.