Kannada actor Chetan Kumar arrested, this time over tweet on Hindutva

Police sources said that a person named Shivakumar had approached the police and filed a complaint stating that Chetan’s tweet hurt Hindu sentiments.

On Tuesday, the Seshadripuram police arrested Chetan from his residence and took him to a local court. A police officer said that he has been remanded to judicial custody for 14 days.

Chetan had also commented on the recent BJP narrative on Vokkaliga chieftains Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda. He tweeted, “Vokkaligara Sangh takes exception to Hindutva’s Urigowda-Nanjegowda. Claims: 1. Dont want to be villains who killed freedom fighter (Tipu); 2. Dont want disharmony b/ween Vokkaligas & Muslims. Another important reason is electoral as Vokkaliga lobbies don’t want to lose caste-based vote bank to Hindutva.”

Last February, Chetan was arrested for his alleged comments against a Karnataka High Court judge hearing the hijab case. The police then had taken suo motu cognisance of his comments and arrested him. He was released on bail later.

In October 2022, Chetan was booked for stating that ‘Bhoota Kola’, which was depicted in the film Kantara, was not part of a Hindu custom.

Born and raised in the United States, Chetan is known to work for the welfare of farmers, workers, Dalits and Adivasis. A socialist with an anti-establishment and pro-Kannada stance, he has been associated with movements for the rehabilitation of endosulfan victims (2013), securing homes for tribals evicted from Kodagu (2016) and, more recently, for a separate religious status for Lingayats.