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No FIR against actor under SC/ST act: Karnataka HC
Karnataka high court on Monday stayed the FIR registered against popular Kannada actor turned politician, under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act over his derogatory comments targeting a Dalit community
Bengaluru
Karnataka high court on Monday stayed the First Information Report (FIR) registered against popular Kannada actor turned politician Upendra, under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act over his derogatory comments targeting a Dalit community.
Two FIRs were registered against the actor at two police stations in Bengaluru on Sunday, following a public outcry over his controversial statements made in a Facebook and Instagram live on Saturday.
During his interaction on social media to celebrate the sixth anniversary of his political party ‘Prajaakeeya’, Upendra made remarks that were offensive towards the Holeya community (Scheduled Caste). “Innocent people don’t speak carelessly. There are people who comment for no reason. There’s a ‘holgeri’ in every village,” he stated. ‘Holgeri’ refers to the part of the village where the Holeya community lives.
On Sunday, Madhusudhan KN, assistant director of the Social Welfare Department filed a complaint with the Chennammana Kere Achukattu police which booked Upendra under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Another complaint was registered against Upendra on Sunday after Byrappa Harish Kumar, state president of the Karnataka Ranadhira Pade filed a complaint following which the Halasuru Gat police filed an FIR under several sections of the IPC and under sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Following his statement, protests erupted in several areas, including Ramanagara where pro-Dalit organisations burnt tyres and posters of the actor, demanding action. Students also burned an effigy of the actor at the Bangalore University.
After the uproar, the actor took to social media and sought an apology for his remark. Upendra also deleted the live video from the social media platforms. “Today, in the live broadcast on Facebook and Instagram, I used a proverb wrongly. Seeing that it has hurt the sentiments of many, I immediately deleted that live video from my social networks. Please accept my apology,” he wrote.
As the pubic continued to condemn him, the actor later wrote: “The one who is speaking against me today was not even born then. Fifty years ago, I have seen cruel poverty, people dying by suicide by setting themselves on fire, hunger, humiliation and oppression. Would one who has grown up experiencing all this speak ill against a particular section? Am I crazy? What will I gain from it? Don’t you have the courage to offer forgiveness? Why so much hate?”
After the two FIRs were registered, the police on Monday reached the actor’s residence in Kathriguppe and issued summons for him to appear before them for investigation. The actor was reportedly not at his residence when the police visited his residence.
Social welfare minister and Congress’ senior Dalit leader Dr HC Mahadevappa said Upendra’s statement was not just an insult to the community, but also to the Constitution. “Upendra is a famous actor, producer and a person who wants to be in public life through a certain political party. But even after 75 years of independence, if you see that they are using caste names, this is a disservice not only to the community but also to the Constitution,” Mahadevappa tweeted on Monday.
