Principal and students among nine arrested over offensive Bengaluru skit about Ambedkar

The Bengaluru University Postgraduate and Research Students’ Union has called a bandh on Tuesday against Jain University for allowing the skit to be performed.

By: Express News Service

Bengaluru | Updated: February 14, 2023 02:37 AM IST

2 min read

The skit that was performed on Wednesday was part of a youth festival organised by the CMS at the Nimhans Convention Centre. (Screengrab)

Nine people including principal Dr Dinesh Nilkant, students and the youth festival organiser of Jain University’s Centre for Management Studies (CMS) in Bengaluru were arrested Monday over a skit that allegedly defamed Dr B R Ambedkar and Dalits.

The nine people were arrested under Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act sections 3 (1) (r) (intentionally insult or intimidate with intent to humiliate a member of SC or ST within public view), 3(1) (s) (abuse any member of ST or ST by caste name within public view) and 3(1)(v) (disrespect any late person held in high esteem by members of SC or ST) and Indian Penal Code sections 153A (promoting enmity), 149 (unlawful assembly) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) on a complaint registered by Madhusudhana K N, assistant director of the social welfare department, Bengaluru South.

DCP South Krishnakanth G said the investigation in the case was underway.

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The Karnataka State Commission for Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe has sought a detailed report on the incident from the university. The Bengaluru University Postgraduate and Research Students’ Union has called a bandh on Tuesday against Jain University for allowing the derogatory skit to be performed.

The skit that was performed on Wednesday was part of a youth festival organised by the CMS at the Nimhans Convention Centre. In a video that went viral, students can be seen participating in a Mad-Ads contest centred on reservation. However, it contained dialogues that were deemed offensive to Ambedkar and Dalits.

Meanwhile, the college authorities claimed the skit had actually shown the “overall picture of” reservation and the caste system in India.

“The skit was performed two times already in different fests and it was not extempore. It was the third performance on Wednesday. However, in view of the protests taking place in Bengaluru tomorrow, we have switching to online classes for now,” said a college official.

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B R Ambedkar Bengaluru