Edited video of students from Jain 'Deemed to be' University in Bengaluru performing a skit with insensitive lines mocking Dalits went viral.
Edited video of students from Jain 'Deemed to be' University in Bengaluru performing a skit with insensitive lines mocking Dalits went viral.
“Beer Ambedkar”, “Why be a Dalit, when you can be The Lit”. These are some of the lines from an edited video of a skit performed by students of Jain Deemed-to-be-University in Bengaluru that has gone viral.
On Saturday, 11 February, the Bengaluru police registered a criminal case, including under sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, against the students after Dalit organisations registered a complaint that the lines in the script were derogatory, casteist and demeaning to not just Dalits, but also Dr BR Ambedkar.
On Friday evening the students’ group, that had come under severe fire over the skit, posted an apology on their Instagram page.
Six students from Jain University, who performed the skit, have now been suspended over the controversial content of their skit.
The seven-minute skit that was enacted during an event called ‘Mad Ads’ of ‘Samyog’, as part of the Jain University Youth Fest 23, by the students’ contingent of the Centre of Management Studies. It referred to Dr BR Ambedkar in an offensive manner and took potshots at Dalits in the garb of humour.
The audience at the event too is heard cheering the performance with applauses and shouts. The Mad Ads skit was videographed and posted on social media subsequently.
Soon, a Dalit rights group from Maharashtra took note of the video and began an online petition condemning it.
An edited version of the skit that was part of the online petition, went viral.
The Maharashtra Dalit rights group condemned the act and termed it as an insult to the entire community and also highlighted that it was a case of “casual casteism” against Dalits. A Dalit rights activist from Mumbai, Aakshay Bansode, on Friday, 10 February, filed a complaint with the police in Nanded, Maharashtra.
On Saturday, Siddapura police in Bengaluru registered a case against the students as well as principal and dean of Jain University and the organiser of the event under IPC sections 153A — promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, caste, community, or any other group; and 295-A — malicious act intended to outrage the religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or the religions beliefs.
However, no student or the management staff have been summoned by the police.
Screenshot of instagram post of the students’ group. (Supplied)
The outrage over the skit led the students group — which calls itself the Delroysboys — posted an apology on its Instagram page. The page has since been deactivated.
“The skit was aimed only to bring to attention the challenges faced by the marginalised communities, using humour as a tool to shed light on these hardships,” the post from the now-deleted account read.
A screenshot of the post is with South First.
“While our intention was to raise awareness and start a meaningful conversation, we understand that some individuals may have found the content to be misinterpreted or offensive and we sincerely apologise as this was not our aim or intention,” the group went on to say in their post.
The Congress in Karnataka too demanded action by Bengaluru police over the skit. Deeming the skit insensitive and defamatory and targeting Dalits and Dr BR Ambedkar, Congress leaders sought action against Jain University.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (South Division) P Krishnakant told South First that the Siddapura police have registered a case and action will follow.
South First attempted to contact the college management for their reaction, but there was no response.
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