Hyderabad: A complaint has been registered against actor Vijay Deverakonda under the SC/ST Act for allegedly making statements that hurt the sentiments of the tribal community, ANI reported.
The complaint has been filed by the state president of the Joint Action Committee of Tribal Communities, Nenavath Ashok Kumar Nayak, alleging that Vijay Deverakonda made objectionable statements against the tribal community at the pre-release event of the film Retro. The case has been registered at the Rayadurgam police station in Cyberabad, it is said.
In April, Vijay Deverakonda was involved in the promotion of Suriya's film 'Retro'. At the same time, there was a conflict between India and Pakistan. While speaking on stage, Vijay Deverakonda had compared Pakistan's behavior to a tribal conflict.
Vijay Deverakonda had said that Pakistanis are behaving in a way that tribals fought wars 500 years ago. The complaint has been filed alleging that the statement has hurt the sentiments of the tribal community. It is said that the controversy has been created because tribals were compared to Pakistanis.
On May 3, the actor posted a statement on X, clarifying that he had no intention of hurting or targeting any community, especially the Scheduled Tribes. He deeply respects them and considers them an integral part of the country.
If any part of my message has been misunderstood or hurt, I express my sincere regret. My only aim was to talk about peace, progress and unity. He also said that I am committed to using my platform to promote unity - never to divide.