We must uproot Brahminism, says Kannada actor Chetan Kumar; complaint filed for hurting sentiments

Bengaluru: Sandalwood actor and activist has stirred a controversy by tweeting against Brahmins and called for uprooting the community.

The actor had tweeted a photo of himself and captioned it saying, “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 & all others are low as Untouchables is sheer nonsense. It is a big hoax’ — #Periyar”

While many applauded his stand in questioning the caste system, the Brahmin Development Board wasn't amused. Its Chairman Sachidananda Murthy submitted a complaint to the Bengaluru Police Commissioner Kamal Pant requesting to initiate action against the actor for hurting the sentiments of the community and that he should apologise.

Speaking to the media, Murthy said a complaint was lodged. “After submitting the complaint, we were given assurance by the police Commissioner that action will be taken against the actor for his speech,” Murthy said.

However, Chetan Kumar said he has not received any notice from the police yet. “I have not received any notice, and all the knowledge I have in the matter is through the media reports. The statements are factual and I have only spoken facts. We do not want injustice to be prevalent in society be it socio-economic or gender. The aim is to use education to make the world a better place. Our goal is to create a society which is non-discriminatory,” he said.

The works of Ambedkar and Periyar that he quoted are available in public domain for study, he added.