The National Commission for Women (NCW) has summoned upcoming stand-up comedians Pranit More, Madhur Virli, and a tech professional, Himanshu Jangra, to its New Delhi office today, 22 June 2026, at 4:00 PM. The summons follows massive public outrage over a viral “crowd-work” comedy video where Jangra made a highly derogatory remark likening a woman’s dignity to a ₹370 plate of biryani while More laughed and promoted the clip online.
Older, offensive routines by Virli also resurfaced during the backlash. The NCW took suo motu cognisance, viewing the content as a severe violation of women’s modesty masquerading as mass entertainment. Consequently, the Gurugram and Maharashtra police have registered FIRs under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the IT Act for sexual harassment and obscenity.
While the accused have issued public apologies attributing the lapse to the pressure of live entertainment, and Jangra has reportedly been sacked from his job, regulatory bodies and women’s rights advocates are demanding strict accountability to halt the normalisation of misogyny online.
A Viral “Biryani” Remark Sparks Outrage
The controversy primarily erupted from a video clip uploaded by Mumbai-based comedian Pranit More. The video featured a segment of “crowd work” a style of comedy where performers interact directly and spontaneously with audience members.
During the interaction at a venue in Gurugram, Himanshu Jangra, a tech professional in the audience, narrated a story about a date. He stated that because he had spent ₹370 on chicken biryani for a woman, he expected sexual favours in return when she later asked him to drop her home. The clip spread across X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and Reddit, igniting massive public backlash. Critics flagged the comment not as harmless, edgy humour, but as blatant misogyny that trivialised the concept of consent and objectified women for online views.
Madhur Virli’s Case
As the public backlash expanded, social media users began auditing past clips of other regional comedians. This digital search resurfaced an older stand-up comedy video featuring Madhur Virli.
In the video, Virli was heard making highly offensive and insensitive jokes during a stand-up routine, touching upon sensitive topics surrounding sexual violence and women’s safety. The revival of this video alongside the current viral incident prompted the NCW to bundle the cases, viewing them as a broader systemic issue of derogatory content being uploaded and monetized online.
Apologies, Account Deactivations, and Job Loss
The swiftness of digital backlash translated into immediate real-world consequences for the individuals involved before the formal hearings even commenced. Himanshu Jangra was fired from his job at a firm in Gurugram as a direct result of the public outcry. Following heavy online trolling and mass reporting, Jangra deactivated his Instagram account.
Both individuals issued public statements. Jangra claimed the story was largely “improvised” for the sake of comedy, while More admitted he had failed to intervene during the live show because he got “carried away” by the crowd’s laughter, calling it a severe lapse in judgment.
Police Register Multiple FIRs
The issue transitioned from a social media debate into a serious legal matter when the National Commission for Women stepped in. Led by NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, the commission formally intervened to assess if the material violated statutory provisions protecting the modesty and dignity of women.
The NCW directed the Haryana Director General of Police to take immediate action, resulting in the Gurugram Police booking More and Jangra under sections 75(2) (sexual harassment), 75(3) (sexually coloured remarks), 294 (circulation of obscene material), and 353(3) (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with Section 67 of the Information Technology Act. Simultaneously, the Maharashtra Cyber Cell registered a separate FIR against the duo and others for circulating obscene content online. Authorities have also issued notices to social media platforms to remove the video links permanently.
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
Humour has historically been a tool to challenge authority, speak truth to power, and hold up a mirror to society’s flaws. However, when comedy shifts from punching up at powerful structures to punching down at historical vulnerabilities, it ceases to be art and becomes a vehicle for prejudice. Normalising the idea that buying a woman a meal strip-mines her right to bodily autonomy is not just “bad comedy” it is a dangerous regression that actively undermines the safety and dignity of women.
While we acknowledge the swift public apologies and the severe personal fallout the creators have faced, this moment must serve as a broader cultural turning point. Digital space is a shared public square, and creators must recognise that the pursuit of viral algorithms should never come at the cost of empathy, mutual respect, and basic human dignity. We need to foster a creative ecosystem where boundaries are pushed through intellect and wit, rather than through the casual degradation of half the population.
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