A month after sparking controversy with his remarks involving the tribal community, Vijay Deverakonda has now been booked under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The Raidurgam police in Cyberabad have registered the case and begun an investigation.
As per reports, the complaint was filed by Nenavath Ashok Kumar Naik, a resident of Saidabad and the State President of the Joint Action Committee of Tribal Communities. The issue stems from a comment Vijay made during the pre-release event of Suriya’s film Retro, where he said, “India doesn’t even need to attack Pakistan, because Pakistanis themselves are fed up with their government and will attack them if this continues. They behave like tribals did 500 years ago, fighting without common sense.”
After facing significant backlash, Vijay released a public apology, clarifying that his statement was not meant to hurt anyone. “There was absolutely no intention to hurt or target any community, especially our Scheduled Tribes, whom I deeply respect and consider an integral part of our country,” he wrote.
Additionally, Hyderabad-based lawyer Lal Chauhan also submitted a complaint regarding the same issue, as reported by Telangana Today. This complaint, lodged at SR Nagar police station on Thursday, accused the actor of drawing parallels between tribal conflicts from the past and modern-day terrorism, a comparison that has provoked strong criticism from multiple groups.