UPDATE March 24, 2023: Chetan Kumar gets a bail

Actor and activist Chetan Kumar, who was arrested for his offensive tweet has been granted bail on Thursday, March 23.A local court in Bengaluru released him on a surety of two persons and a Rs 25,000 bond. He was remanded to judicial custody for 14 days after he was arrested by Seshadripuram police.

Soon after attaining his freedom, Chetan who has been fighting for equality, while speaking to media said, sticking to his stand once again reiterated that, “Hindutva is built on lies.” Sharing his thoughts on Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda who allegedly killed Tipu Sultan, he added, “It is a cooked-up story to create disharmony between Vokkaligas and Muslim communities. Even historian have confirmed that Tipu Sultan was not killed by the duo. He was a great freedom fighter. We need to adopt his principles to create an egalitarian society. ”

The actor has also stated that he will continue fight for the betterment of the society. This is not the first time the actor was arrested following his offensive tweet. He was also earlier arrested in February last year for a tweet against Karnataka High Court Justice Krishna Dixit. He was later released on bail.

Kannada film actor, Ambedkarite Activist Mr. Chetan Kumar has been arrested by the Bommai led BJP government for the second time in the last one year. The previous  arrest was made in February 2022, for a tweet criticising, Justice Krishna Dixit , a high court judge , over his misogynist remarks in an order allowing a bail plea of  a rape accused. The same judge was part of the bench of three judges that heard the Hijab case in the Karnataka High Court. Chetan had expressed his serious reservations about the outcome of the proceedings due to the Judge’s prejudice against the women as expressed in the bail order. In fact, on the advice of the chief justice, those controversial remarks were later expunged from the order also.

Nevertheless, Chetan had to spend a few days in judicial custody before he got bail. There was an outrage in Karnataka civil society over the arrest which was considered as an attempt to suppress a dissident Ambedkarite Voice.

Chetan has proved his commitment to the causes he pursued even after his arrest. He was outspoken and unapologetic about his views on how even the judiciary is a replica of Indian casteist and male chauvinist society. He continued his unadulterated critique of all the political parties based on an Ambedkarite and Periyarist ideology. His strong views has resulted in the consolidation of some of his support base but has also alienated some others. His views continue to be debated in the mainstream media, very often not doing justice to his nuanced understanding.

This time around, the tweet for which Chetan has been arrested for the second time has touched the very electoral and ideological fault line of the RSS-BJP combine. In the impugned tweet Chetan had said that:

Hindutva is built on lies. Savarkar’s theory that Hindu Rashtra was inaugurated from the times when Rama killed Ravana and brought back Sita is a lie. That there was a Ram Mandir beneath Babri-Masjid was a lie. And that Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda, two concocted Vokkaliga warriors (were responsible for the) killing of Tipu is also a lie. Hence Hindutva is built on lies. Only truth can defeat these lies; and Equality is the Truth.

While the first two statements have been made by scores of people all of the time, what has truly perturbed and rattled the BJP’s machinery in Karnataka is the last one about Uri Gowda and Naje Gowda.

To understand the import of this statement one needs to understand the predicament of the BJP in the poll bound state of Karnataka.

The BJP government which is today wrecked with charges of corruption, scandals, factional fights, administrative failures etc., is solely banking on the time-tested electoral strategy of communal polarisation in the state. To this end it has been trying to rake up communal issues and also create a wedge between the dominant Vokkaliga community and the Muslims in the Mysore region where Tipu and Hyder Ali ruled for decades. The BJP is constantly attempting this by demonising Tippu Sultan and building statues for Kempe Gowda, the Vokkaliga chieftain of the area.

Of late the Gobblesian false factory of RSS-BJP has discovered two Vokkaliga warriors, namely Uri Gowda and Dodda Nanje Gowda and spun the story that they are responsible for killing Tipu Sultan in the Fourth Anglo-Mysore War on May 4, 1799 in Srirangapattana, as a revenge against his “rule of religious bigotry”.  A minister of the Bommai cabinet has even volunteered to produce a movie titled “Urigowda and Nanje Gowda”.

But all that propaganda did not gain traction, albeit temporarily, because a majority of the Vokkaliga community took offense to this misadventure of the Sangh Parivar and even the seer of the community prevailed upon the minister to retract and himself gave a firm caution against this false campaign. This is only because Tipu is considered even today as a great patriotic ruler who fought against the British with bravery and lost his life in the battlefield defending the country. Hence those who are responsible for the death of Tipu, like Mir Sadiq, the commander who betrayed Tipu in the final war, are considered traitors. Now the BJPs campaign which make two Vokkaligas “take credit” for the killing of Tipu is taken as a huge offense against the community.

However, even though, the momentum around “Urigowda” propaganda has decreased, staunch Vokkaliga politicians with an RSS background, like CT Ravi and Shobha Karandlaje have indirectly challenged the caution given by the seer and hinted that they would pursue the false campaign. Thus the Urigowda campaign might get postponed until the election but may resume with more fervour because it is the part of the larger strategy of the Sangh Parivar to re write the history by inventing Hindutva soldiers and Freedom Fighters while demonising all Muslim rulers with the same brush of invasion and bigotry.

It is in this background that Chetan tweeted this seemingly most innocuous tweet reiterating a truism stated by different people umpteen times in the public sphere.

For example, scholars like Ambedkar have exposed the Savarkarite myth of Hindu Rashtra and Ramayana in most of his works. Allam Prabhu, one of the great teachers of the Lingayat Community which is the  main social base of the BJP in Karnataka, has declared in one of his couplets, in most unambiguous terms that “Puranas are nothing but a time pass of Ruffians and Vedas are worthless coir”.

In fact Chetan’s tweet can hardly be more “offending” than this .

That there was no Rama mandir beneath Babri Masjid is acknowledged by no less than the Constitutional bench of the Supreme Court.

And, Niramalanda Swamiji, the seer of the Vokkaliga community has officially declared that the Urigowda and Nanjegowda “warriors” are figment of fiction. The seer is also on record saying that “through imagination(s) one can write novels but not History.”

Not only that, if   this new “discovery” was true,  the Britishers who wanted to portray Tipu’s egalitarian rule as bigotry to justify their conquest, would have made maximum use of Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda in their campaign against Tipu immediately after his death.

Neither do “The Journey From Madras Through the Country of Mysore, Canara and Malabar” a documentation of Society and People of Mysore province by Francis Buchanan, immediately after the death of Tipu or the Historical account of the last Anglo-Mysore war documented by Alexander Beatson, or James Salmond or the locals like Ramchandra Rao Punganuri or the more recent one documented by British Officer C. Hayavadana Rao in 1946, even contain a bare documentation of mention these characters.

All the official, credible accounts of 1799, May 4 document that:

Mir Sadiq, the commander -in-chief of Tipu Sultan, betrayed Tipu and colluded with the British. He facilitated the march of the British Army into Srirangapattana after breaching the unguarded fort at about lunch time. Tipu Sultan, after learning that his confident commander Gafur had been martyred in the fight, rushes to the battleground with some of his confidence. But it was late and the city of Srirangapattana was being ransacked and plundered by British soldiers. Still Tipu puts up a brave fight killing many British soldiers in his wake. But in no time his beloved horse got killed and Tippu himself was hit by Musket balls and collapsed from the mount. Few British soldiers who were on the rampage, approached Tipu to seize from him the diamond studded sword. Tipu kills the soldier with the drawn sword. The other British soldiers kill him immediately by shooting without even knowing whom they are killing.

Even the local ballads in the folklore of Mysore, which are generally considered as an unadulterated account of truth in history, praise Tipu as a hero who died a martyr in safeguarding the country and in the quest of liberating the peasants. If Tipu was a tyrant and the Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda were liberators, the local ballads would have depicted the same. In fact there is not a single ballad even mentioning these imaginary Sanghi warriors or portraying Tipu as a tyrant. 

Hence, the agrarian communities in the region have a great regard for Tipu and the Vokkaligas in general have taken offense to BJPs campaign which is bringing bad repute to their community.

Chetan has only aired this sentiment. Chetan is charged with creating disharmony between the communities over a complaint filed by a Bajrang Dal activist. That there was no need of arrest in such cases and that there has been no arrests of Right Wingers on more vicious statements says a lot about the current state of affairs.

Chetan may get the bail in a day or two. But the Hinduva bigots will continue with their crusade against Tipu and continue this agenda since it strengthens a crucial pillar of their Hindu Rashtra. The secular combat against this needs to be carried out relentlessly and with caution.

Related:

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The post Actor Chetan’s Second Arrest: First as Warning, Second as Strategy? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Shocked and perhaps disappointed that activist and Kannada actor Chetan Kumar, aka Chetan Ahimsa was granted bail by a Bengaluru Court on Friday after his arrest for allegedly making controversial remarks against the judge hearing the hijab ban case, the right-wing has been in an overdrive spreading fake news of his possible deportation to the United States.

What first began as wishful thinking, quickly turned into calls for his deportation on social media and the fake news even trickled into news media studios, some of whom were only happy to spread the word. But why is the right-wing so obsessed with the idea of Chetan Kumar’s deportation?

In 2021, Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) member Girish Bharadwaj had sought that Chetan Kumar be deported for making alleged “anti-Brahminism statements”. Bharadwaj, according to an India Today report from then, had complained to the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) in Bengaluru asking that Kumar, an American citizen, “should be deported to the United States”.

The Bengaluru city police had lodged two FIRs against Kumar for allegedly ‘hurting religious beliefs’, reportedly based on complaints by Sachidananda Murthy, chairman Brahmin Development Board, and an organisation called Vipra Yuva Vedike. On June 6, 2021, Kumar had reportedly tweeted, “Brahminism is negation of the spirit of Liberty, Equality, Fraternity…we must uproot Brahminism— #Ambedkar. ‘While all are born as equals, to say that Brahmins alone are highest and all others are low as Untouchables is sheer nonsense. It is a big hoax’ — #Periyar.” Sachidananda Murthy claimed Kumar “defamed the community by using derogatory words.”

Girish Bharadwaj of VHP had claimed “Chetan is a citizen of the United States and is residing in Bengaluru temporarily. He is raking communal caste sentiments and caste conflagration resulting in social disharmony in a country with a pluralistic ethos like India.” He told the media that the actor’s words were “a litany of falsehoods” and “an attack on the most peaceful and progressive community in India.” He then sought the FRRO to revoke Kumar’s Residential Permit under the Foreigner Act.

Now, according to The New Indian Express, documents dated August 2021, include “communication sent from Basavangudi Police Station to the Chief Secretary through the office of DGP. Police have prepared a deportation file on actor Chetan, who is an American citizenship holder, and is pending before the Home secretary for making “Provocative remarks’’. The letter has been signed by ADGP, Law and Order, Prathap Reddy.”

However, as Karnataka based activists pointed out to SabrangIndia, the document mentioned in the news report is only about “seeking  procedural approval by the higher officer for filing a change sheet against Chetan in a case under 153b and 295a…and nothing is mentioned in there about deportation.”

According to legal portals, Section 153A mentions: The act of promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste, community or any other group. Acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different groups or castes or communities, if the acts disturb public tranquillity. Acts causing fear or alarm or a feeling of insecurity among members of any religious, racial, language or regional group or caste or community by use of criminal force or violence against them.

Section 295-A includes: Insult or attempt to insult the religion or religious beliefs of any class of citizens of India. The said insult must be with a deliberate and malicious intention of outraging the religious feelings of the said class of citizens. The said insult must be by words, either spoken or written, by signs or by visible representation or otherwise. The offence under Section 295-A is cognizable and a non-bailable and non-compoundable offence. The police have the power to arrest a person charged under Section 295-A without a warrant.

According to TNIE, no comments have been made yet by Home Minister Araga Jnanendra on the issue and ADGP Prathap Reddy said, “Unless I check the correspondence in detail, I will not be able to respond.” 

Meanwhile, Chetan Kumar, in a video purportedly recorded when he was released on bail, has said there was nothing wrong in the tweet he was arrested for, and that the fight against injustice will continue.

ಪ್ರಜಾಪ್ರಭುತ್ವದ ಉಳಿವಿಗಾಗಿ ಹೋರಾಟ ಖಂಡಿತ ಮುಂದುವರಿಯುತ್ತದೆ: ಚೇತನ್‌ ಅಹಿಂಸಾ#chetankumar @ChetanAhimsa #chetanahimsa #ಚೇತನ್‌ pic.twitter.com/7gGpnBcpxp

— Naanu Gauri (@naanugauri) February 28, 2022

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Actor Activist Chetan Kumar gets bail

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The post Who is lobbying to get activist actor Chetan Kumar deported to the US? appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Kannada actor and activist Chetan Kumar (39)  aka Chetan Ahimsa was granted bail by a Bengaluru Court on Friday. Kumar had been arrested six days ago in relation to a case filed against him for tweeting against Justice Krishna Dixit of the Karnataka High Court, who is part of the Bench hearing the hijab case. Kumar had posted how the judge had allegedly made “disturbing comments” about rape in a 2020 order, where he had allegedly questioned the “behaviour” of the woman who had alleged rape.

“The explanation offered by her that after the perpetration of the act she was tired and fell asleep is unbecoming of an Indian woman,” the judge had allegedly observed, adding that it was “not the way our women react when they are ravished.” This comment is deeply problematic to say the least. Kumar had merely stated that he was reposting a two year old tweet, where he had written about when “Justice Krishna Dixit made such disturbing comments in a rape case” and asked if the same judge “determining whether hijabs are acceptable or not in gov’t schools” will have “the clarity required?” According to Bar and Bench Justice Dixit’s words had then been met with “a huge public outcry,” and the remarks were later expunged from the order.

While granting Kumar bail on Friday, February 25 a magistrate court has directed him to furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh and two sureties of Rs 1 lakh each. According to news reports the bail order states, “The accused shall not commit an offence similar to the offence of which he is accused. He shall not make, publish, post, or circulate any derogatory/provocative statements in any manner so as to disturb communal harmony and public peace.” Kumar has also been told to attend all dates of hearing.

Discrepancies in arrest procedure?

He had been called for questioning by the Sheshadripuram police from his home on Tuesday, February 23 and subsequently arrested. According to The News Minute, his wife Megha had raised the issue of his disappearance, as she was not informed of his whereabouts. The police eventually issued a statement saying that the actor had been arrested over a tweet that he posted on February 16 and booked under a suo motu case. He was arrested under the Indian Penal Code’s Sections 505 (2) (statements conducing to public mischief) and 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of the peace). According to news reports, “the prosecutor for the state had argued against bail for the actor, claiming that he would create communal hatred if released.”  

However, according to TNM Chetan’s advocate S Balan, “There were discrepancies in the arrest procedure,” and he reportedly criticised the police for “not preparing an arrest memo, nor taking Chetan’s wife’s signature at the time of arrest, and for keeping him at an undisclosed location,” all of which are violations under the guidelines for arrest issued by the Supreme Court in the DK Basu vs State of West Bengal case, added the report. 

Related:

Karnataka: Chetan Kumar turns 39 behind bars, was jailed for asking a question
First they came for the hijab, then they came for the turban; what is next on the list?
How a state suffocated by Saffron got a new breath from Blue
Hijab Ban: Identity politics or body policing?

The post Actor Activist Chetan Kumar gets bail appeared first on SabrangIndia.

Fulbright scholar, activist and film actor Chetan Kumar, turns 39 years old today, Thursday February 24. However, unlike most actors who would have been at a glittering party with friends, family and fans, Chetan Ahimsa, as he is also known, will ‘celebrate’ his birthday behind bars under judicial custody at the Parappana Agrahara jail, located on the outskirts of Bangalore city.

On Tuesday, the state police registered a suo motu case against Kumar and arrested him under the Indian Penal Code’s Sections 505 (2) (statements conducing to public mischief) and 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of the peace). According to news reports, this action came six days after he posted a tweet that made an observation about justice Krishna Dixit, who is hearing the hijab ban case. Chetan Kumar had posted how the judge had allegedly made “disturbing comments” about rape in a 2020 order, where the judge questioned the “behaviour” of the woman who alleged rape. 

“The explanation offered by her that after the perpetration of the act she was tired and fell asleep is unbecoming of an Indian woman,” the judge had allegedly observed, adding that it was “not the way our women react when they are ravished.” This comment attributed to the judge is deeply problematic to say the least. 

Kumar had merely stated that he was reposting a two year old tweet, where he had written about when “Justice Krishna Dixit made such disturbing comments in a rape case.” He asked if the same judge “determining whether hijabs are acceptable or not in gov’t schools” will have “the clarity required?” According to Kumar, there is no abuse in the tweet, and he has merely asked a question here.

As expected he was trolled by the right wing keyboard warriors, even before the police arrested him.

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? pic.twitter.com/Vg8VRXmJTW

— Chetan Kumar Ahimsa / ಚೇತನ್ ಅಹಿಂಸಾ (@ChetanAhimsa) February 16, 2022

Now arrested by @BlrCityPolice . Stay strong brother. #jaibhim_ChetanAhimsa https://t.co/zKRvGRRAfy

— Dilip Mandal (@Profdilipmandal) February 22, 2022

Chetan Kumar is hailed as a youth icon and activist. He made on-screen debut in 2007 with Aa Dinagalu which won him many Best Actor in a Debut awards; the film itself has gone on to be hailed as a “cult classic”. Kumar is among those rare artists who form small and strong groups in the south Indian films and cultural fraternity, who are vocal on issues of social justice and do not mince words in online and in public interactions. Kumar is also active on ground and was most recently at the massive solidarity rally in Bengaluru on February 19, called to condemn the insult and disrespect shown to Babasaheb Ambedkar by a District Judge on Republic Day. 

Watch these 2 minutes from yesterday’s colossal ocean of blue in Bengaluru & pass on your thoughts#equality #justice pic.twitter.com/8ZLaTQxOC3

— Chetan Kumar Ahimsa / ಚೇತನ್ ಅಹಿಂಸಾ (@ChetanAhimsa) February 20, 2022

Thanks for the film fraternity solidarity — #JaiBheem https://t.co/YuOE3NDM5Z

— Chetan Kumar Ahimsa / ಚೇತನ್ ಅಹಿಂಸಾ (@ChetanAhimsa) February 20, 2022

We are neither Hindu nor Mussalman; we are egalitarians. We are neither BJP nor Congress; we are alternative forces. There’s a big ongoing controversy. We are neither kesari shawls nor hijabs; we are blue shawls. Transformation is alternative. Our call is spreading to all corners pic.twitter.com/dShhhLhga1

— Chetan Kumar Ahimsa / ಚೇತನ್ ಅಹಿಂಸಾ (@ChetanAhimsa) February 20, 2022

Chetan Kumar had mobilised support for the rally and himself participated in a the mammoth march organised by Dalit organisations demanding the suspension of then sessions judge Mallikarjuna Gowda, who had allegedly objected to placing B R Ambedkar’s portrait next to that of Mahatma Gandhi at a court function organised by a group of lawyers on Republic Day in Raichur. The judge, after learning that a portrait of Ambedkar was also placed along with Gandhi, on the podium where the program was to be held, allegedly refused to attend the program till the Ambedkar portrait was removed, because the High Court guidelines permit only Gandhi’s portrait. Gowda was later transferred to the Karnataka State Transport Appellate Tribunal.

Kumar, who was born and grew up in the United States, has evolved into a rooted activist back home in Karnataka and has been active in movements seeking justice, equal opportunity and welfare of farmers, workers, Dalits and Adivasis. According to reports, Chetan is a staunch socialist, and has always been anti-establishment and pro-Kannada, pro-people. He has also been associated with movements for the rehabilitation of endosulfan victims (2013), securing homes for tribals evicted from Kodagu (2016) and, more recently, for a separate religion status for Lingayats, as well as Film Industry for Rights and Equality (FIRE), an organisation formed to address the issues of women, writers and workers in the Kannada film industry, stated news reports.

Walking the talk, real and reel!

In 2020, Chetan married partner Megha S at a non religious socialist wedding held at the Vinoba Bhave Ashram, an orphanage, and the ‘ceremony’ was conducted by Akkai Padmashali, the celebrated transgender activist. Kumar had then told the media that “everything is symbolic of what’s necessary in society, we emphasised upon the idea of multiplicity and inclusivity, which we showed through the art forms of the tribal community and including the underprivileged children from the ashram. We also brought in the idea of a Constitution with the book, which was given to everyone to emphasise on it being the holy book and spread awareness on the subject.” The couple also took vows of value, reading from the Constitution, reported The New Indian Express.

Chetan Kumar has continued to walk the talk. He reportedly also came under fire from trolls who were fans of actor Arjun Sarja, who was accused by colleague Sruthi Hariharan, of sexual harassement. Kumar had stood in support of Sruthi Hariharan. According to director KM Chaitanya, who worked with Kumar in his debut movie, Aa Dinagalu, the actor is an activist first. He was quoted in the Indian Express saying Kumar “grew up in a family which is involved in social causes. His brother had contested elections for the Green Party in the United States. You can call it accidental or incidental. Chetan was in India for research work as a Fulbright scholar and worked in conjunction with the National School of Drama, Bengaluru. That was when we came across Chetan and decided to cast him in the movie. Had he not entered the sandalwood industry, I think he would either be an activist or a researcher as he does both with a lot of passion.” 

Watch these 2 minutes from yesterday’s colossal ocean of blue in Bengaluru & pass on your thoughts#equality #justice pic.twitter.com/8ZLaTQxOC3

— Chetan Kumar Ahimsa / ಚೇತನ್ ಅಹಿಂಸಾ (@ChetanAhimsa) February 20, 2022

Thanks for the film fraternity solidarity — #JaiBheem https://t.co/YuOE3NDM5Z

— Chetan Kumar Ahimsa / ಚೇತನ್ ಅಹಿಂಸಾ (@ChetanAhimsa) February 20, 2022

Communal KA politician @CTRavi_BJP says #hijab is religious while kumkuma is ‘decorative’

False

Hijab—not defined in Quran—is Islamic CULTURAL expression

Kumkuma—defined in many Hindu texts & by Shankaracharya—is Hindu RELIGIOUS symbol

Hence, schools must surely ban kumkuma

— Chetan Kumar Ahimsa / ಚೇತನ್ ಅಹಿಂಸಾ (@ChetanAhimsa) February 18, 2022

Now, Chetan Kumar has once again made it to the global news as he was arrested for the first time in the state that has been the hotbed of communal tension in recent times. Chetan Kumar is a US citizen and his arrest as a Dalit rights activist is likely to be taken up at various fora. Kumar’s bail plea will be heard in the court on Friday, February 25.  

Related:

First they came for the hijab, then they came for the turban; what is next on the list?

Hijab Ban case: Is it necessary to go into question of essential practice: HC asks AG

How a state suffocated by Saffron got a new breath from Blue

Hijab Ban: Identity politics or body policing?

Karnataka: Bajrang Dal member killed, cops refute links to hijab row

The post Karnataka: Chetan Kumar turns 39 behind bars, was jailed for asking a question appeared first on SabrangIndia.