Criminal complaint filed against Kamal Haasan for 'hurting religious sentiments' over Godse remark

Sumit Kumar reports that the complaint alleges Haasan 'has hurt religious sentiments of Hindus by associating terrorism with Hindu religion in Tamil Nadu on May 12.'

ANI file photo of Kamal Haasan.

New Delhi: In mounting trouble for Kamal Haasan, a criminal complaint was filed against him in Delhi's Patiala House Court for 'hurting religious sentiments' with his recent remarks on Nathuram Godse, the assassin of Mahatma Gandhi.

Haasan has been under fire since his Sunday comment when he referred to Godse and said 'independent India's first terrorist was a Hindu.' "Independent India’s first terrorist was a Hindu. His name is Nathuram Godse. I’m not saying this because this is a locality with a sizeable Muslim population, I’m saying this in front of a Gandhi statue," he had said at an election rally for his party candidate in Aravakurichi assembly constituency, which is scheduled to witness bypoll on May 19. (Full report here)

For this, a criminal complaint has now been filed against the Makkal Needhi Maiam (MNM) founder. It is alleged in the complaint that Haasan has 'hurt religious sentiments of Hindus by associating terrorism with Hindu religion in Tamil Nadu on May 12.'

The actor-turned-politician is also facing heat from political rivals with the Bharatiya Janata Party approaching the Election Commission on Monday. " It is necessary to state that the statement was made deliberately in the presence of a Muslim majority crowd for electoral gain, which is clearly a corrupt practice under Section 123(3) the Representation of the People Act 1951," the BJP said in its complaint letter to EC. "Mr. Kamal Hasaan is deliberately promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of Harmony and brotherhood, which is an offence under Section 153A of the IPC." (Full report here)

Tamil Nadu minister Rajendra Balaji also reacted sharply to Haasan's comment and said that his tongue should be chopped off for saying what he had. Congress' Tamil Nadu unit has, however, supported Haasan with KS Alagiri saying he found nothing wrong in what had been said.

Meanwhile, security at Haasan's residence in Chennai was increased on Tuesday.

(Reporting from New Delhi by Sumit Kumar/Zee Media Bureau)