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By Latha Srinivasan: Chetan Kuamr Ahimsa, a popular Kannada actor and activist, was arrested on March 21 by the Karanataka Police for allegedly posting tweets opposing Hindutva. The actor was later released on bail. On April 14, Chetan Kumar Ahimsa received a letter from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) directing him to return his Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) within 15 days.
The letter, dated March 28, reportedly cited his ‘derogatory comments against judges’ and his ‘anti-national activities’ as the reasons for cancellation of the OCI. Chetan tweeted out on April 15 that the “Union Home Ministry canceled my visa to stay in India yesterday on Ambedkar Jayanti (Apirl 14).”
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Speaking exclusively to IndiaToday.in, Chetan Kumar, who holds a US passport, stated, “On April 14, a special day for all of us as followers of Baba Saheb Ambedkar and egalitarianism. I was given a letter stating that my visa was cancelled with immediate effect and I had 15 days to turn in the card. It cited anti-national activities. It is ironic because if there’s anybody who is upholding the Constitution, it is Ambedkar’s equalitarians. The cases that have come up against me in the past two years seem fabricated and baseless and the fact that the courts have issued either a stay or a quash and nullified them. There have been no convictions.”
ACTOR WHO TURNED ACTIVIST
The Myna actor also added that he has been active in activism for about 13 years now. “We have made considerable waves in Karnataka in terms of ideological presence and on-ground activism and various success stories on various fronts. What rocked the cradle was when I took up the Brahminism hierarchy two years ago and it wasn’t against any one community – it’s a system and mindset. A lot of caste lobbies and Hindutva lobbies filed cases last year and then I was put in jail for a tweet on a judge’s issue. There seemed to be a forced reason to put me in jail. Three weeks ago, I put out a tweet on Hindutva, which in my mind was innocuous and based on facts. There’s a conscious attempt to build a narrative even if that means baseless accusations to say that I am anti-Indian – I would never go against the law or against the Constitution’s preamble,” he told IndiaToday.in.
ACTOR TO FILE APPEAL
Chetan Kumar stated that he was filing an appeal in the Karnataka High Court now. “The letter has given me 15 days to return the OCI card. I don’t want to transgress the law. I’m in the process of filing an appeal against this OCI cancellation. As I said, the cases filed against me have been stayed or quashed.”
“Why are there so many attacks against me when so many people across the nation are speaking out? I believe it’s not personal affection or disaffection against me – it’s the ideology of Ambedkarism, Periyarism and equalitarianism which we have been espousing consistently for 13 years. It has spread to a large section of Karnataka and is galvanising youth which, potentially, has the ability to counter both the Hindu and Hidutva hegemonies on the ideology front. I think they want to nip this in the bud,” Chetan opined.
Chetan Kuamr added he was filing the appeal early next week and the hearing was likely to come up on April 20.
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