A week after actor Darshan was attacked while promoting his upcoming film Kranti at Hosapete, Karnataka police announced in a press note that three persons have been arrested in the case. The press note, which was released on December 25 and signed by the superintendent of police, Hosapete, said that three special teams were formed to find the culprits. The three arrested have been sent to judicial custody. The police suspect the involvement of more persons, and are on the lookout for others involved in the incident.
The attack on Darshan took place on December 18, when hundreds of fans had gathered for the release of Kranti’s second song ‘Bombe Bombe’, co-starring Rachita Ram, Ravichandran, and Sumalatha. A slipper was flung at the actor by an unidentified person from the crowd. A group claiming to be late Kannada star Puneeth Rajkumar’s fans had also reportedly torn some banners as soon as Darshan appeared on stage. Though the actor remained calm after the attack, the team immediately left the venue.
After the video of the incident started doing the rounds on social media, many celebrities and fans took to Twitter to condemn the attack on Darshan. Actors Kichcha Sudeep, Shiva Rajkumar, Jaggesh, and Ramya condemned the attack and advised fan clubs to refrain from fan wars. In a lengthy note, actor Kichcha Sudeep said on December 20, “The video I saw was very disturbing. There were many others including the leading lady of the film standing there. They were just a part of the event and had nothing to do with the rage that was prevailing at that time. Humiliating them publicly raises the question whether we Kannadigas are known for these unjustified reactions. Is this kind of outburst even an option?”
Actor Shiva Rajkumar also expressed his disappointment in a video posted on social media, “Yesterday’s attack on Darshan has upset me. We don’t know who did it, but we have always said that we are all like one family. Whoever has done it please do not behave like this,” he said. The attack on Darshan came weeks after his comment in a recent media interaction that was criticised for being insensitive and sexist. Actor Darshan was arrested earlier on charges of domestic violence after his wife accused him of assault.