The Karnataka high court on Monday stayed a First Information Report (FIR) registered against Kannada actor turned politician Upendra under the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act over his allegedly derogatory comments against SC Holeya community on Facebook and Instagram on Saturday. He was booked on Sunday following an outcry.
“Innocent people do not speak carelessly. There are people who comment for no reason. There is a holgeri in every village,” he said during an interaction on social media to celebrate the sixth anniversary of his political party Prajaakeeya. Holgeri refers to the part of a village where the Holeya community lives.
The comments triggered protests including in Ramanagara, where Dalit organisations burnt tyres and posters of the actor demanding action. Students also burned his effigy at Bangalore University.
Upendra apologised for his remarks and deleted the video in which he made the comments. “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.
He said the ones speaking against him today were not even born 50 years ago when he saw 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? Do not you have the courage to offer forgiveness? Why so much hate?”
{{/usCountry}}He said the ones speaking against him today were not even born 50 years ago when he saw 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? Do not you have the courage to offer forgiveness? Why so much hate?”
{{/usCountry}}Police on Monday issued a notice to Upendra to appear before them for an investigation.
Karnataka minister and Dalit leader 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.