Actor Kasthuri Shankar arrested for comments against Telugu community

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Actor Kasthuri Shankar was on Saturday arrested in Hyderabad for her alleged offensive comments against Telugu-speaking people in Tamil Nadu.


The 50-year-old actor's remarks at a meeting of the Hindu Makkal Katchi drew fire from BJP national co-in charge of Tamil Nadu Dr Ponguleti Sudhakar Reddy, who demanded an apology from her.


Her comments hamper the cordial atmosphere among the people of Tamil Nadu and were against the principle of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (the world is one family), the BJP leader told news agency PTI.


Earlier, the Madras High Court, dismissing the actor's anticipatory bail petition, said that the statement of the actor "hovers around hate speech". It said public personalities must always think twice before addressing such issue in the public platform. 


On November 6, the actor announced that she has withdrawn all references to Telugus from her November 3 speech, adding it was not her intention to "hurt or offend my Telugu extended family".


"I am sorry for any inadvertent ill feeling. In the interest of all-round amity, I withdraw all references to Telugus in my speech delivered on November 3," Ms Kasthuri had said in a post on X.


"I reiterate that my opinions were contextually specific to certain individuals and not directed at the broader Telugu community. This controversy has unfortunately diverted attention from the more important points I raised in that speech," she wrote.


The actor also shared that she had received numerous threats in the days following her speech.


"A respected Telugu friend of mine patiently explained the impact of my words on the entire Telugu population of Tamil Nadu and beyond," she explained in her post.


Ms Kasthuri added that she has always lived above caste and regional differences and feels fortunate to have a special connection to the Telugu community. 


"I grew up admiring the glorious days of the Nayak kings, Kattabomman Nayaka, and singing Tyagaraja kritis. I cherish my film career in Telugu cinema. Telugu people have given me a name, fame, love, and a family," she said.