India — We Are Better Than This: Shashi Tharoor on the Ordeals of Comic Nalin Yadav
Senior Congress leader and Thiruvananthapuram MP Shashi Tharoor has condemned the continued harassment faced by stand-up comedian Nalin Yadav, calling on the Madhya Pradesh authorities to uphold justice and end his suffering.
“India — we are better than this. I call upon the authorities in Madhya Pradesh to honour the values of Bharatiya Sanskriti and let this young man live in peace, practise his profession, and get on with his life,” Tharoor posted on social media, sharing a video of Yadav narrating his struggles.
Yadav, once a promising comedian from Indore, saw his career and life take a devastating turn in January 2021 when right-wing activists, led by Eklavya Singh Gaur, disrupted a comedy show he was part of. The primary target of their outrage was Munawar Faruqui, but Yadav, along with two others, was also arrested despite not having made any controversial remarks. What followed has been years of relentless persecution.
India — we are better than this. I call upon the authorities in Madhya Pradesh to honour the values of Bharatiya Sanskriti and let this young man live in peace, practice his profession and get on with his life. https://t.co/yhSffYVYZs
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) March 18, 2025
After spending nearly two months in jail, Yadav found himself shunned by the comedy circuit. Club owners refused him gigs under alleged “pressure from above.” Branded as an “anti-national,” his once-promising career collapsed. He was forced to take up menial labour at a factory in Pithampur, earning a meagre ₹200-300 a day.
His troubles did not end there. His home became a target of repeated attacks, with local political figures allegedly orchestrating his family’s suffering. Over the past four years, Yadav and his younger brother have been physically assaulted multiple times. In one such instance, his brother’s leg was broken. Despite filing several FIRs, the authorities took no meaningful action, allowing the attacks to continue unchecked.
In May 2024, Yadav revealed that the harassment had escalated, with a mob launching yet another violent attack on his home. A burning tyre was hurled onto their roof, setting fire to stored logs. When he confronted the perpetrators, he and his brother were beaten. Yadav spent hours running between police stations before an FIR was finally lodged, but he remains sceptical about any real justice being served.
“Price of Unspoken Joke”
Meet Nalin Yadav, a 28-YO stand-up comedian from Indore, whose quick wit used to ignite laughter in dimly lit clubs.
In 2020, he was a rising star, sharing stage with emerging comedian like Munawar Faruqui and others.
They were set to perform at a… pic.twitter.com/AGLKTa23fl
— काश/if Kakvi (@KashifKakvi) March 16, 2025
“Today, I am not a comedian anymore. I am not that person who can find laughter in disguise. We are just waiting for justice one day, though I’m not so hopeful about that. But we are trying each and every other day,” Yadav said in a recent statement.
Meanwhile, Faruqui, who was released from jail within 30 days, has since found success, winning reality show Bigg Boss 17 and continuing his comedy career. He has, however, remained silent on Yadav’s plight.
Yadav now faces legal troubles of his own. Having moved to a different city for safety, he recently received a police warrant accusing him of “fighting with those goons,” a case he claims to be entirely unaware of. Financially and emotionally drained, he has lost all hope in the system.
