The actress, during a conversation with fellow contestant Drone Pratap on the reality show, chided him with a casteist slur.
Published Nov 14, 2023 | 9:58 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 14, 2023 | 10:00 PM
Tanisha Kuppanda with her contestants at the Bigg Boss show season-10
Bigg Boss Kannada contestant and television actress Tanisha Kuppanda was booked by the Ramanagara district police on Tuesday, 14 November, under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
She was booked for using derogatory remarks against the Dalit community recently in the widely-watched television reality show.
Kuppanda is known for her roles in the Kannada film industry and television soaps. She won a ticket to contest in Bigg Boss Kannada Season 10, which airs on Colours Kannada.
“Based on a complaint from one P Padma, who is the state president of the Akhila Karnataka Bhovi Samaja Ghataka, the Kumbalgodu police registered an FIR against the actress under sections of the SC and ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act,” Magadi subdivision Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Praveen Kumar told South First.
Tanisha Kuppanda with fellow contestants. (supplied)
The officer added that the police haven’t made any arrests as of yet. However, the investigation was underway.
According to a senior police officer attached to the Kumbalgodu Police Station, Kuppanda, during a recent conversation with fellow contestant Drone Pratap on the reality show, chided him in Kannada by saying: “Vaddara tharah aad beda (Don’t fool around like Vaddara).”
Vaddara was a reference to the Bhovi community, which falls under the Scheduled Caste category, the officer said.
Clips of the conversation went viral on social media, inviting the wrath of the Bhovi community, who demanded immediate legal action against Kuppanda. Some members of the community even demanded her immediate arrest.
The community also expressed outrage by calling for her immediate eviction from the Bigg Boss house and the reality show.
However, Colours Kannada and the show’s producers have not yet responded to the incident or the subsequent developments.
According to police sources, officials visited the Bigg Boss sets and informed the producers, showrunners, and the actress about the complaint received and the FIR.
The police obtained her statement and are said to have conducted a spot inspection as well.
The cops also retrieved footage of the reality show where the actress was said to have uttered the casteist slur.
This is the second such incident where a contestant from Bigg Boss Kannada landed in trouble with law enforcement agencies for offences that came to light during their participation in the show.
Earlier, contestant Varthur Santhosh was arrested by Forest Department officials as he was seen wearing a tiger-claw pendant, which was deemed an offence under the Wildlife (Protection) Act.
After being arrested, he was produced before a magistrate and remanded in judicial custody. However, he managed to obtain bail within a week and returned to the Bigg Boss house on 30 October.
