Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah's Babita Ji aka Munmum Dutta in trouble, case against actress for using 'casteist slur'

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New Delhi: Popular television actress Munmun Dutta, known for playing Babita Ji in hit sitcom Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah is in trouble. The Indore police have registered a case against a television actor for allegedly using an objectionable word against a Scheduled Caste community.

A video of Munmun Dutta using a particular word against the community had gone viral on social media recently, the official told PTI. Based on a complaint lodged by Akhil Bharatiya Balai Mahasangh president Manoj Parmar, an FIR was registered against Dutta under relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the official said.

In his complaint, Parmar said that the use of a 'racist' word by Dutta in her video has hurt the sentiments of the Scheduled Caste community, especially the Valmiki community.

However, Dutta, who plays the role of Babita in "Tarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah", has already apologised for her controversial remarks even before the case was filed. The actress had released her apology on May 10 on social media. 

Earlier, an FIR was lodged against the actress in Haryana. According to PTI, Munmun Dutta had claimed she used the wrong word 'because of her language barrier' and added she was genuinely misinformed about its meaning. The FIR against Dutta was registered in Haryana's Hansi town on a complaint by National Alliance for Dalit Human Rights convenor Rajat Kalsan.

The Hansi police lodged the FIR against Dutta under various provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. A case was subsequently lodged against Dutta in the Hansi city police station in the Hisar district.

Hansi city police station's SHO Dalbir Singh said an FIR has been registered against actress Dutta and further investigations were in progress.

However, the Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah actress had already apologised for unintentionally hurting the sentiments of a community on her social media handle. 

"This is in reference to a video that I posted yesterday wherein one word used by me has been misinterpreted. It was never said with the intent of insult, intimidate, humiliate or hurt anyone's feelings. Because of my language barrier, I was genuinely misinformed about the meaning of the word," she had said in a statement, which she also shared in Hindi.

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"Once I was made aware of its meaning, I immediately took the part down. I have the utmost respect for every single person from every caste, creed or gender and acknowledge their immense contribution to our society or nation," she wrote.

"I sincerely would like to apologize to every single person who has been unintentionally hurt by the usage of the word and I sincerely regret the same," she added. 

(With PTI inputs)