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Kannada actor Chetan Kumar Ahimsa arrested over Hindutva tweet

He was arrested on the basis of a complaint filed by a member of the Bajrang Dal
Last Updated 21 March 2023, 09:59 IST

Bengaluru police arrested Kannada actor Chetan Kumar Ahimsa on Tuesday for tweeting that "Hindutva is built on lies".

Seshadripuram police picked up the Aa Dinagalu actor on the basis of a complaint filed by Shivakumar, 34, the convenor of Bajrang Dal's Bengaluru North unit. The FIR has invoked IPC sections 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred, or ill-will between classes) and 295(A) (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).

A lower court in the city has remanded the actor for 14-day judicial custody.

A senior police officer confirmed the arrest and dismissed accusations that the police have been "targeting" the actor for speaking up against Hindutva. "We file an FIR whenever we receive a complaint. We go by the law," the officer said.

Shivakumar called Ahimsa "a serial offender" and vowed to approach the court for the cancellation of his bail in previous cases.

Ahimsa was similarly arrested in February 2022 for a tweet on Justice Krishna S Dixit, a judge in the High Court of Karnataka who had heard the hijab case. He later secured bail in that case.

The tweet that resulted in Ahimsa's latest arrest was made on March 20. Tweeting in English and Kannada, the actor criticised Hindutva for "speaking lies". In particular, he referred to the BJP's efforts to project Urigowda and Nanjegowda as the killers of Tipu Sultan. The two men are believed to be fictional characters. BJP leaders, however, insist that the two men indeed existed and killed Tipu Sultan at Srirangapatna on May 4, 1799, during the fourth Anglo-Mysore War.

Horticulture Minister Munirathna announced making a film on Urigowda and Nanjegowda but backtracked following objections from Nirmalanandanatha Swami, the head of the influential Adichunchanagiri Math.

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(Published 21 March 2023, 06:58 IST)

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