The SR Nagar police station in Hyderabad on Thursday, May 1, registered a case against Telugu actor Vijay Deverakonda under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act following a complaint by advocate Lal Chauhan. Vijay has been accused of referring to the tribal community derogatorily while speaking at the pre-release event for Tamil film Retro starring actor Surya.
The Telugu actor of ‘Arjun Reddy’ fame had appeared as the chief guest for the pre-release event when he brought up the recent Pahalgam terrorist attacks. Vijay likened the terrorist attack to historical clashes of tribal communities.
“They (the terrorists) behave like tribals from 500 years ago, fighting without using their brain or using minimum common sense. What these terrorists need is education. Kashmir belongs to India and Kashmiris belong to India,” Vijay said.
Following Vijay’s remarks, Adivasi lawyers association president Kishan Raj Chauhan demanded a public apology from the actor. “The actor’s reference to tribal communities in the context of terrorism is unacceptable and dangerous,” he told the media, adding that such comments show a lack of awareness towards tribal history and identity.
After the criticism and the police complaint, the actor issued an apology. "I wish to sincerely clarify: there was absolutely no intention to hurt or target any community, especially our Scheduled Tribes, who I deeply respect and consider an integral part of our country."
"The word "tribe," as I used it, was meant in the historical and dictionary sense referring to a time centuries ago when human society globally was organized into tribes and clans, often in conflict. It was never a reference to the Scheduled Tribes classification, which was introduced during colonial and post-colonial India and formalized only in the mid-20th century - not even 100 years ago,” he added.
(With inputs from IANS)