Published: Jul 13, 2020, 09:49 IST

Sumukhi Suresh’s reaction comes a few days after comedian Agrima Joshua received rape threats when an old video of her comedy set with a joke about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj surfaced.

Picture courtesy/Instagram account @sumukhisureshPicture courtesy/Instagram account @sumukhisuresh

Pushpavalli and Comicstaan fame comedienne Sumukhi Suresh strongly condemned online abuse against female comics. Taking it to social media, Sumukhi, known for breaking stereotypes with her acting and stand-up comedy gigs, added that the trend is disturbing that all the hate ends with rape threats.

Sumukhi’s reaction comes a few days after comedian Agrima Joshua received rape threats when an old video of her comedy set with a joke about Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj surfaced. Since then, a video with a person abusing Agrima and her family, and giving her rape threats has gone viral.

“You are NOT allowed to rape and threaten to rape us. You are NOT allowed to sexually assault and threaten to do that. You canNOT say “we respect ladies” and then tell us to “shut up or we will rape you and your mothers on the road,” Sumukhi tweeted.

Sumukhi warned people not to take silence as a sign of weakness. She used social media to make her point. “You will NOT be allowed to think that you have the right to violate our body to silence us. Please do NOT be a coward and a disgusting human,” she added.

She posted a series of notes on her Instagram account, later. Take a look:

Meanwhile, Agrima issued an apology for hurting sentiments with her comedy set. She wrote: “I am sorry for having hurt the sentiments of the many followers of the great leader Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. My heartfelt apologies to followers of the great leader, who I sincerely respect. The video has already been taken down.”

Joshua, a stand-up comedian, during an act performed at The Habitat in 2019 had commented on the upcoming Shivaji Maharaj Memorial in the Arabian Sea. The video went viral a couple of days ago on social networking sites, with some people terming it as “insulting” to the warrior leader.

courtesy mid-day