Vijay Deverakonda booked under SC/ST Act for remarks

Hyderabad

A case has been filed against actor Vijay Deverakonda under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for allegedly making offensive remarks about tribal communities during a film pre-release event. The incident happened in April during the promotion of the movie Retro, starring actor Surya.

According to police, Deverakonda reportedly compared the recent terror attack in Pahalgam to tribal wars from 500 years ago. The complaint was filed by Nenavath Ashok Kumar Naik, also known as Ashok Rathod, who is the State President of the Joint Action Committee of Tribal Communities. He claimed that the actor’s comments deeply hurt tribal sentiments and insulted their community by comparing them to Pakistani terrorists.

Following the backlash, Deverakonda shared a statement on X (formerly Twitter) on May 3. He said his words were misunderstood and insisted he had no intention to offend or target anyone. He emphasized his respect for tribal communities, calling them an essential part of India.

If my words caused any hurt, I sincerely apologize. I only wished to promote peace, progress, and unity. I will continue to use my voice to bring people together, he wrote.

The case was officially registered on June 17, and police have begun an investigation into the matter.