Kannada activist booked for burning posters of actor Kamal Haasan in Bengaluru

Bengaluru: An FIR has been registered against a Kannada activist for allegedly burning posters of actor Kamal Haasan as a mark of protest against his recent controversial statement about the Kannada language, police said on Friday.

The incident occurred near Pavitra Paradise Circle, KHB Road, Basaveshwaranagar here, they said.

According to the police, on May 28 at around 11.45 pm, Ravikumar, president of Namma Karunada Yuva Sene, gathered near Pavitra Paradise Circle and started burning posters of Haasan. His act not only disturbed public peace but also caused hindrance to vehicular movement on road at midnight, a senior police officer said.

"Based on the complaint of a policeman on duty, we have registered a case against the president of the pro-Kannada outfit yesterday (Thursday) at Basaveshwaranagar police station under sections 270 (public nuisance) and 283 (deliberately mislead navigators using false signals such as lights, marks, or buoys) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigation is underway," he added.

Actor-politician Haasan's recent statement claiming "Kannada was born out of Tamil" during a promotional event for his upcoming film 'Thug Life' has sparked widespread outrage among pro-Kannada groups and cultural organisations.