A case was filed against Munmun Dutta, the actor best known for her performance in the Hindi television series Tarak Mehta Ka Oolta Chashma, on Tuesday for using a casteist slur against a Scheduled Caste (SC) community in a video.
Dutta stated that she did not want to look like a Bhangi, a term often used in a pejorative manner to refer to an SC community in a video released on May 9. She said that she instead “wanted to look good”.
The video was taken down by the actor after facing flak on social media.
Speaking to Silverscreen India on Thursday, the complainant and President of Akhil Bharatiya Balai Mahasangh, Manoj Parmar said that the actor’s video contained indecent language. He added that the usage of the word Bhangi was against the Balmiki community, an SC community. It should be illegal and prohibited, he said.
The complaint was registered under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
Earlier in May Rajat Kalsan, Dalit rights activist and convenor of the National Alliance for Dalit Human Rights, submitted a complaint petition against Dutta in Haryana’s Hansi city police station. Here too, a complaint was registered under Section 3(1) (U) of SC ST POA Act.
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“Many actors such as Salman Khan, Shilpa Shetty, Sonakshi Sinha and Ekta Kapoor have used the word before and have also apologised later just like Munmun Dutta did. But it has become a trend for them to hurt the sentiments of our community and then apologise for it,” Parmar said.
“We have been slaves for ages due to the lack of education. We have worked as manual scavengers and sanitation workers, something that no one else does. The Balmiki Samaj has worked the most since the beginning of the Coronavirus pandemic. The community should have been celebrated. Instead celebrities just tarnish and insult them,” he added.
Parmar wondered if Dutta’s comments alluded to the looks of people from the Bhangi community. He asked, “Do you mean they look ugly and dirty?”
Initially, the Indore police refused to register a complaint by Parmar and his organisation. It was only accepted after members of the SC community staged a protest.
Earlier in May, Dutta had issued an apology on social media saying that there was a language barrier and that the word used by her was misinterpreted. “I do not intend to insult, intimidate, humiliate or hurt anyone’s feelings,” she said.
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Filmmaker Neeraj Ghaywan reacted to Dutta’s apology and tweeted: “Has been misinterpreted”? “Never said it with intent to hurt”? There is no other interpretation! You said the B word and there is no way to cover it up. Apologise and shut up.”
First information report has been registered against the actress Munmun Dutta @ Babita ji at police station City Hansi under section 3(1) (u) of SC ST POA act.
Complaint is got registered by dalit rights activist Rajat kalsan. pic.twitter.com/Z7ZTfZXa54— Rajat Kalsan رجت کلسن (@rajatkalsan3010) May 13, 2021