Kannada actor Upendra has been charged by the Channammanakere Acchukattu police under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989. This comes in response to an alleged derogatory statement he made during a live conversation on a social media platform.
During the live session, Upendra addressed the topic of individuals who propagate negativity and criticize on the internet. He stated, “Ooru enda mele holageri idde irutte” (there will be a Dalit hamlet in every village).
In the wake of this incident, Dalit activists Gopal Giriyappa and Banashankari Vasu lodged a complaint with the Social Welfare Department, urging action against Upendra. Subsequently, Madhusudhan K.N., Assistant Director of the Social Welfare Department, filed a formal complaint with the Channammanakere Acchukattu police. This led to the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against Upendra under the SC-ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989.
Upendra swiftly issued an apology for his statement and promptly removed the video containing his remarks. He expressed, “While speaking live on social media, I mistakenly used a Kannada proverb that has hurt the sentiments of many. So, I have deleted the video immediately, and I apologize for the same,” in a post on social media.