Police order suspension of controversial play Gandhi Hatyeya Satya in Bengaluru

The Bengaluru City Police directed the management of Suchitra Cinema and Cultural Academy to suspend all ongoing and scheduled performances of the controversial play Gandhi Hatyeya Satya (The Truth Behind Gandhi's Assassination), by former Rangayana director Addanda C Cariappa. 

In a notice pasted on the academy's gate, the jurisdictional Banashankari Police warned that the management would face legal consequences if any performance was held and resulted in a law-and-order problem. The police action comes amid escalating protests over the play. 

The play, scheduled for its last show on Monday, November 2, was cancelled after Congress workers reportedly objected to the contents of the play. 

A group of protesters also lodged a complaint with the police alleging that the play distorts history and makes derogatory references.

On Monday afternoon, tension prevailed outside the academy in Banashankari after protesters, allegedly belonging to the Congress, confronted Cariappa while he was addressing the media. 

Some demonstrators reportedly hurled slippers at him, accusing him of spreading falsehoods and tarnishing MK Gandhi's legacy. Police personnel intervened to prevent the situation from escalating. 

Prakash Belawadi of the Academy termed the incident unfortunate and said that while everyone had the right to protest, no one should take the law into their own hands. Those with objections to a particular show should seek legal recourse rather than resort to physical attacks or disrupting performances, he said.

Belawadi also maintained that the cancellation of shows of comedians Munawar Faruqui and Kunal Kamra was equally wrong, stressing that artistic freedom and the right to perform must be respected.

Ink smeared

Monday’s tension follows another incident during which ink was smeared on Cariappa’s face on October 31. 

The incident occurred during the staging of Gandhi Hattyeya Satya organised by the Rangabhoomi Trust, Kodagu. Trouble erupted after certain dialogues in the play, including a reference to Mahatma Gandhi as a traitor, allegedly triggered anger among some members of the audience. 

Objecting to the remarks, a group of spectators created a ruckus and disrupted the performance. In the ensuing commotion, some Congress workers allegedly smeared ink on Cariappa to protest the play and its content.

Protesters, led by Kushal Hanumegowda, filed a complaint with the police alleging that Cariappa was spreading misinformation about Mahatma Gandhi by depicting him as "anti-national" and a "slave of Muslims". 

According to the complaint, when audience members questioned the narrative during the performance, Cariappa allegedly abused them using foul language. The Banashankari police have registered a case and started a detailed investigation.

Cariappa has written a play titled Tipu Nija Kanasugalu based on the fictitious characters Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda which the play claimed killed Tipu Sultan. 

Tushar Gandhi, MK Gandhi’s great-grandson, criticised the disruption of the play, saying that regardless of its contents, Cariappa had a right to say what he wished to say.