Police have booked Kannada actor Chetan Kumar, also known as Chetan Ahimsa, for making “offensive” remarks about Brahmins in a video that has gone viral on social media.
Basavanagudi police registered the case following a complaint from the president of a little-known organisation called Yuva Vipra Vedike.
Pawan Kumar Sharma, the president of the organisation, complained to the police about Ahimsa “speaking in a derogative way” about Brahmins. The remarks, according to Sharma, amount to “hurting the Hindu sentiments and creating differences among religions and castles”. He urged the police to take action against the actor.
Sharma said that he came across the video on June 9 while checking his phone at a convention hall in Basavanagudi. Ahimsa’s video has been uploaded to YouTube, Instagram, Facebook and other social media platforms, and shared widely.
A policer officer who’s investigating the case said Sharma had submitted a pen drive containing Ahimsa’s video as evidence.
A case has been registered under IPC sections 153B (imputations and assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).
The actor will be issued a notice to appear for questioning and further necessary action will be taken accordingly, the officer said.