Casteist skit at college fest: Bengaluru’s Jain Varsity Dean, seven students arrested

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Police arrested the Dean, Programme Co-ordinator and seven students of Jain (Deemed-to-be-University) over a controversial skit on Dr. B.R. Ambedkar.

Dinesh Nilkant, Dean, Faculty of Management and Director (Admissions), Prateek, Programme Coordinator and seven students have been arrested, said P. Krishnakant, Deputy Commissioner of Police (South).

Police declined to give details about the students, citing their academic future and safety. Police produced them before the Magistrate and secured their custody for three days.

The incident occurred during a college youth festival in Bengaluru, where a group of students from the University performed a skit as part of ‘Mad-Ads’, a segment where participants advertise imaginary products in a humorous manner.

A video of the event was widely shared on social media, sparking outrage. Later, K.N. Madhusudan, Assistant Director of the Social Welfare Department, Bengaluru South, filed a complaint with the Siddapura Police against the Dean, Principal, programme organiser, students, skit writers and others.

The Police subsequently opened a case under various IPC sections as well as the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

In their defence, the students told the Police that they neither intended to insult Ambedkar in any manner nor knew that the skit would put them in trouble.

This post was published on February 14, 2023 9:10 pm