Jaipur: The organisers of the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) on Monday handed over the video footage of sociologist Ashis Nandy’s speech during which he had allegedly blamed the people from the backward classes, scheduled castes and tribes for corruption in the country.
Nandy had said that the people belonging to OBC (Other Backward Class), Scheduled Caste (SC) and ST (Scheduled Tribe) are more corrupt during a discussion at the JLF on January 26.
The remarks kicked off a furore, with many voices condemning Nandy for his remarks and case was registered against him under Prevention of Atrocities Against SC/ST Act.
“We have taken the CD from the organisers and we will get it translated in Hindi and then further investigate the matter. We are still collecting statements and probing the matter,” said Janesh Singh, a local police officer.
Earlier on Sunday, Sanjoy Roy, organiser of the JLF, had defended Nandy and said: “The festival was a platform for debate and any objections to the statement must be engaged with in a democratic manner not through a gag on free speech.”
Roy has also been named in the police report registered against Nandy.
Nandy had later clarified that what he meant was that the most of the people getting caught in corruption charges belongs to marginalised sections, as they don’t have the means to save themselves unlike people from upper castes.
ANI
