Bengaluru police to probe Aryan Khan's ‘obscene gesture’ at city pub

Bengaluru: A Bengaluru-based lawyer has filed a police complaint seeking the registration of an FIR against Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan, alleging that he made an obscene gesture during a public event at a city pub on November 28.

Advocate Owaiz Hussain S, a resident of Sankey Road, submitted the complaint to the DG&IGP, the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner, the DCP (Central Division), the Inspector of the Cubbon Park Police Station, and the Karnataka State Women’s Commission.

The complainant alleged that several women were present at the venue when the gesture was made and said the act “insulted their modesty,” attracting relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023.

He further accused Khan of causing “public discomfort, embarrassment and emotional distress,” adding that the incident portrayed Bengaluru in poor light as a “safe and dignified public environment.”

The complaint lists offences under three categories of BNS:

• Insulting the modesty of a woman: for intentionally making an obscene and humiliating gesture in the presence of women.

• Obscene acts in public: for performing an obscene gesture likely to cause annoyance or distress.

• Conduct likely to cause public disorder or alarm: citing the viral footage and public outrage following the incident.

To support his case, the complainant referenced a February 2025 incident where Chamarajpet police arrested a man, Harsha H B, after he allegedly showed the middle finger to a woman near Gopalan Mall. Based on the woman’s video complaint, an FIR was registered under relevant sections for obscene gestures and insulting a woman’s modesty.

The lawyer stated that courts have previously held that showing the middle finger towards a woman is an obscene gesture intended to insult.

In his complaint, he said Khan was recorded showing the middle finger to people present at the event, which was held under the Ashok Nagar police station limits. The video has gone viral on social media and led to public outrage.

Hussain said several women were present at the venue when Khan allegedly made the gesture, claiming that it amounted to insulting their modesty, and constituted vulgar and indecent behaviour in a public place.

Hakay Akshay Machhindra, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Division), said that based on social media posts, they had taken up a suo motu enquiry case and gathered CCTV footage from the pub premises. The case is being investigated under Section 173 B of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).