According to the event organisers, the comedian was not allowed to enter the venue due to lack of credentials and lack of space for broadcast crews at the venue, despite evidence suggesting otherwise.
Videos later posted to the Instagram account of AMWPR President and CEO Adam Mathew Weiss, clearly showed Minhas being informed by organisers that he and his crew could not attend the gathering as there were no press credentials available for him and his team. He was also told that his camera crew could not enter due to unavailability of space.
More videos shared on Weiss’s Instagram story showed a completely different situation as other camera crews could be seen in the press area where ample space was present to adjust more people as well. Minhaj, Weiss or AMWPR have not yet responded to the incident.
Later, journalist Maria Kari took to social media saying that she was also refused media credentials by the organisers due to which she could not attend the rally.
The incident gave rise to speculations that Minhaj was denied entry to the venue due to his past criticism of Modi, US President Donald Trump and for voicing his support for Kashmir on India’s Independence Day on August 15.