On Saturday, 15th April 2023, the OCI (overseas citizenship of India) card of Kannada actor Chetan Kumar was revoked by the Union government. This action was taken against him for allegedly indulging in anti-national activities and for derogating judges.
Due to his remarks that Hindutva “is built on lies,” the controversial actor was recently detained. The OCI card was revoked in response to a letter from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO) dated April 14 ordering him to surrender his card within 15 days or provide justification for why it shouldn’t be revoked.
Kannada actor and activist Chetan Ahimsa claims that his Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) card has been revoked by the Government of India.
— ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2023
He is currently on bail after his recent arrest by Bengaluru Police over his 'offensive' tweet on Hindutva.
(file photo) pic.twitter.com/MG0y2xr25o
Chetan Kumar, a resident of Chicago and a citizen of the United States, obtained his OCI card in 2018. The actor’s lengthy residence in India, his contributions to film, and his marriage to an Indian national were all mentioned in his response. But, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) deemed his response unsatisfactory and moved forward with the decision to cancel his OCI card.
According to the Home Ministry’s letter, Chetan Kumar’s OCI card was revoked as a result of his disparaging remarks about judges and indulging in anti-national acts. Notably, the artist was detained by Bengaluru police on March 21 after he had posted offensive posts on the microblogging website Twitter. He is currently out on bail.
Chetan Kumar was charged with violating IPC sections 505 (B) and 295 (A), which set out penalties for willful and intentional conduct intended to offend someone’s religious sensibilities by disparaging their religion or religious beliefs and disturbing the harmony between two groups. He was detained as a result of a complaint made by one Shiva Kumar of the Bajrang Dal regarding the reported tweet that claimed various things about the Hindu religion were false.
When the hijab controversy erupted across the country in February 2022, Chetan Kumar made remarks questioning Justice Krishna Dixit of the Karnataka High Court. He was detained under IPC section 504 for punishing intentional provocation and insults to any person with the purpose to disturb public peace and section 505(2) for utterances that create or promote animosity, hostility, or ill-will between classes.
