Complaint filed against actor Prakash Raj for hurting religious sentiments

Tirupati: A criminal complaint has been filed in a court in Tirupati against film actor Prakash Raj for his derogatory remarks regarding Hindu deities and the epic Ramayana.

Bhanuprakash Reddy, BJP leader and a member of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam (TTD) Trust Board, filed the complaint in the court of the IV-Additional Judicial Magistrate of First Class on Monday, alleging that the actor made “inflammatory” statements during the Kerala Literature Festival and other public forums.

According to the complaint, the actor allegedly claimed that Lord Rama and Lakshmana travelled from North India to “invade” the South, which he reportedly equated to “Lanka”.

The complainant stated that April 17, he came across a video of the actor on social media, in which he made “highly derogatory, factually incorrect, inflammatory and malicious statements” regarding Lord Rama and Lakshmana and the sacred epic Ramayana.

Bhanuprakash Reddy stated in his complaint that these statements, widely circulated on social media, cause widespread hurt and outrage among the Hindu community.

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The complainant alleged that the accused wilfully promoted the divisive “Aryan-Dravidian” theory, incited regional animosity and undermined India’s cultural and religious unity and deliberately insulted the deities and scriptures of the Hindu religion with the intent to outrage religious feelings.

The TTD member alleged that the accused committed act of insulting religious feelings, which is an offence against public tranquillity, religious harmony and the community’s beliefs.

He further states that the accused’s statements attracted section 299 (deliberate & malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and section 196 (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence etc & acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.

The complainant requested the court to examine the complaint, take cognisance of the offences and summon and punish the accused in accordance with the law.