A comedy segment on India's Got Latent Season 2 has triggered a debate on social media after Samay Raina and comedian Sharon Verma exchanged jokes centred on their regional and cultural backgrounds.

The episode featured Orry, Archana Puran Singh, Nishant Suri, Sharon Verma and Samay Raina. During one of the exchanges, the conversation between Samay and Sharon moved from light-hearted banter to jokes involving Bihar and the history of Kashmiri Pandits.

Samay began by referring to Sharon's journey on the show. He pointed out that she had previously appeared as a contestant and had now returned as a judge, while he continued to occupy the same position.

The conversation then shifted towards jokes about their respective identities. Samay made a remark about Sharon being from Bihar, playing on stereotypes associated with the way certain words are pronounced in the state.

Sharon responded with a joke about Samay being a Kashmiri and linked the reference to getting "stoned" with stone-pelting in Kashmir, a phrase that has acquired a political and conflict-related association over the years.

The exchange continued with Samay making a reference to people from Bihar moving to Mumbai for employment. Sharon then responded that, unlike those who were forced to leave, she had moved away from her home state by choice.

The latter remark was widely interpreted as a reference to the displacement of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley during the insurgency of the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Social media divided over the exchange

Clips from the episode soon circulated online, prompting criticism from viewers who felt the jokes crossed the boundary between edgy comedy and trivialising painful events.

Some users questioned whether tragedies associated with Kashmir could be treated as material for casual humour. Others argued that the exchange reduced complex historical experiences to regional stereotypes.

A section of commenters also criticised both comedians rather than singling out one person, saying jokes about someone's place of origin and jokes referencing displacement could both be viewed as insensitive.

The backlash comes amid an ongoing debate surrounding the limits of comedy, particularly when performers use real-world violence, displacement, identity or historical trauma as part of a joke.

India's Got Latent has faced controversies before

This is not the first time content associated with India's Got Latent has generated controversy.

The show's first season came under intense scrutiny after YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia made a controversial remark involving a contestant's parents. The incident resulted in widespread criticism and eventually led to legal and public scrutiny.

More recently, comedian Pranit More faced backlash over a crowd-work performance that sparked a controversy around a remark involving a woman and the price of a biryani meal.

The latest Latent 2 controversy has once again brought attention to the question of whether comedians should draw a line when humour touches upon events that continue to carry emotional and historical significance for large communities.