Actor-turned-politician Upendra finds himself embroiled in a legal controversy as he has been formally booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The case was registered at Bengaluru’s CK Achukattu police station on Sunday, August 13, following a public outcry over his derogatory comments targeting a Dalit community.
The incident unfolded during an Instagram live session held on Saturday, August 12, where Upendra was celebrating the sixth anniversary of his political party, Prajakeeya. In the live session, he made comments that sparked outrage and garnered strong condemnation from the public.
During his discourse on the potential for societal change, Upendra made remarks that were offensive and demeaning towards the Holeya community (Scheduled Caste). He stated, "Innocent people don't speak carelessly. There are people who comment for no reason. There's a ‘holgeri’ in every village." The term ‘holgeri’ refers to the part of the town/village where the Holeya community lives.
Upendra swiftly took down the contentious live video from his social media accounts. In a subsequent statement, he said, "Today, in the live broadcast on Facebook and Instagram, I used a proverb wrongly. Seeing that it has hurt the sentiments of many, I immediately deleted that live video from my social networks. Please accept my apology."
The case has been registered based on a complaint from an official from the Social Welfare Department. Bengaluru South DCP Krishnakanth said that Upendra has been booked for intentionally insulting or intimidating a member of a Scheduled Caste or a Scheduled Tribe in a public setting, as well as using caste-based derogatory language targeting the same communities. "We received a complaint that actor Upendra's statement in a Facebook live was derogatory to a community. We are investigating."