Harsh Gujral has gone viral again for a joke about crime in Uttar Pradesh, and the punchline came from a banana seller with a shady past. An old clip from UP Creators Summit & Awards has resurfaced, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath beside the comic.
During his speech, Gujral shared a tale from a trip to Lucknow, where he had gone to perform. While out for a stroll, he met a fruit vendor and asked about the local crime scene. The seller claimed things had become far safer across the state.
Curious about that claim, Gujral pressed the vendor for proof. The man's reply was the whole joke. He claimed to be a crook who had switched to selling bananas. Gujral then thanked the event hosts for his award and gave Uttar Pradesh a cheerful shoutout.
But the actual crime figures tell a less neat story. National Crime Records Bureau data puts the state's registered rate at 225.3 per 100,000 residents in 2016. It later hit 278.2 in 2019, followed by 287.4 in 2020.
A dip came next, with 262.5 cases per 100,000 people in 2021. The figure then slid to 171.6 in 2022 before jumping to 335.3 in 2023. Hardly a steady fall, despite the upbeat tale from the stage.
For 2023, police across UP logged about 793,000 offenses under the Indian Penal Code and Special and Local Laws. Even with that jump, the state's rate stayed below India's national figure of 448.3. The data tracks reported cases, which is a different measure from a comic's account.
Away from stand-up, Gujral has also made his way into Hindi films. His first Bollywood role came in Mere Husband Ki Biwi, a romantic comedy helmed by Mudassar Aziz.
The cast featured Arjun Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar, and Rakul Preet Singh in major roles, while Gujral played a supporting part. That marked his move from live comedy shows to the big screen.
During his speech, Gujral shared a tale from a trip to Lucknow, where he had gone to perform. While out for a stroll, he met a fruit vendor and asked about the local crime scene. The seller claimed things had become far safer across the state.
Curious about that claim, Gujral pressed the vendor for proof. The man's reply was the whole joke. He claimed to be a crook who had switched to selling bananas. Gujral then thanked the event hosts for his award and gave Uttar Pradesh a cheerful shoutout.
But the actual crime figures tell a less neat story. National Crime Records Bureau data puts the state's registered rate at 225.3 per 100,000 residents in 2016. It later hit 278.2 in 2019, followed by 287.4 in 2020.
A dip came next, with 262.5 cases per 100,000 people in 2021. The figure then slid to 171.6 in 2022 before jumping to 335.3 in 2023. Hardly a steady fall, despite the upbeat tale from the stage.
For 2023, police across UP logged about 793,000 offenses under the Indian Penal Code and Special and Local Laws. Even with that jump, the state's rate stayed below India's national figure of 448.3. The data tracks reported cases, which is a different measure from a comic's account.
Away from stand-up, Gujral has also made his way into Hindi films. His first Bollywood role came in Mere Husband Ki Biwi, a romantic comedy helmed by Mudassar Aziz.
The cast featured Arjun Kapoor, Bhumi Pednekar, and Rakul Preet Singh in major roles, while Gujral played a supporting part. That marked his move from live comedy shows to the big screen.
