Sanatana row: FIR against Bengaluru YouTube channel over ‘threat’ to Prakash Raj

Bengaluru Police have filed an FIR against a YouTube channel on the basis of a complaint filed by actor Prakash Raj alleging threat to his and his family members’ lives over his remarks on Sanatana Dharma.

According to the actor’s complaint, a YouTube channel called TV Vikrama allegedly posted a video containing inflammatory speeches against him. According to a report by The Indian Express, it allegedly contains statements such as “Stalin and Raj must be finished? What must Hindus do? Your blood does not boil?” The video, which has gained traction with nearly 90,000 views,

The FIR has been filed at Ashok Nagar police station in Bengaluru with charges under IPC sections 506 (criminal intimidation), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), and 505(2) (public mischief likely to cause fear to the public).

The Sanatana argument

The alleged threats came after Raj’s recent comments on Sanatana Dharma made during a meeting of writers and artists in Kalaburagi, Karnataka. Reacting to the hullaballoo over DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin’s remarks on Sanatana Dharma, Raj said those who aggressively advocate for Sanatana Dharma and Hindutva are not true Hindus but rather “contractors of Hindutva.”

Earlier, Tamil Nadu minister Udhayanidhi, speaking at a conference in Chennai, had equated Sanatana Dharma with “dengue, malaria and corona” and said it should be eradicated, sparking outrage from many right-wing Hindu organisations.

Raj, in his police complaint, said the YouTube video showed him and his family in a bad light and incited people against them. He has alleged that the video was a clear attempt to issue a life-threatening warning to him and his family.

An Ashok Nagar police station official confirmed to Hindustan Times that an FIR has been registered against TV Vikrama.