Kannada actor and activist Chetan Kumar was arrested by Seshadripuram Police in Bengaluru on Tuesday, 21 March, over a tweet which stated that "Hindutva is built on lies".
Chetan Kumar Ahimsa, as he is popularly known, went on to list what he claimed are the "lies" in the tweet.
Screenshot of the tweet.
(Photo: Twitter/@ChetanAhimsa)
Who filed the complaint? A person named Shivkumar, a member of Bajrang Dal, filed a police complaint in his personal capacity against the Kannada actor.
What has the actor been charged with? Speaking to The Quint, police officials said a case against Kumar has been registered under Section 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) and 505B (Statement conducing public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code.
The actor will be presented before a local court on Tuesday.
Previous arrest: This is not the first time the 40-year-old actor-activist has been arrested for his views. In February 2022, Kumar was arrested for an objectionable tweet against Karnataka High Court Justice Krishna Dixit who was hearing the hijab case.
Replugging an old tweet, Kumar said, "This is a tweet I wrote nearly two years ago regarding a Karnataka High Court decision. Justice Krishna Dixit made such disturbing comments in a rape case. Now this same judge is determining whether hijabs are acceptable or not in govt schools. Does he have the clarity required?(sic).”
Kumar's Kantara 'Bhoota Kola' controversy: Months after the tweet against the high court judge, the Kannada actor was again booked for claiming that ‘Bhoota Kola’, a spirit worship ritual practised in coastal Karnataka and depicted in the box office hit film 'Kantara', was not part of Hindu culture.
Reacting to the film director's remarks that the ritual was part of Hindu culture, Kumar had said on Twitter, "Glad our Kannada film ‘Kantara’ is making national waves. Director Rishabh Shetty claims Bhoota Kola is ‘Hindu culture’. False. Our Pambada/Nalike/Parawa’s Bahujan traditions predate Vedic-Brahminical Hinduism. We ask that Moolnivasi cultures be shown w/truth on & off screen.(sic)."
The tweet again led to a complaint against the actor for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
Described as "more an activist than an actor," by filmmaker and director KM Chaitanya, click here to read more about Chetan Kumar.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)