MYSURU: When he went down on his knees and proposed to his sweetheart on the stage at a government-sponsored event here on Friday, he probably wouldn’t have thought what a storm it would create. Rapper, music composer and former Bigg Boss Kannada contestant Chandan Shetty asked his former housemate Niveditha Gowda, “Will you marry me?” at the ongoing Yuva Dasara, a popular cultural event, taking the Dasara committee by surprise. Though visibly shocked, Niveditha accepted his proposal. And he gave her a ring and the duo kissed on the dais.
While the audience cheered, some netizens slammed Chandan for turning the prestigious Dasara event into a reality show. And as district minister V Somanna said the authorities would take action against Chandan as per law, three separate police complaints were filed against the newly engaged couple. At the end of the day, Chandan apologised.
Many people took to the social media and slammed the organisers and the cops for allowing Niveditha to go on the stage and participate in this ‘private party’. As a result of the engagement, the event which was to wind up at 10.45 pm, got extended by an hour. Somanna said misusing public stage for a private affair was wrong. “I never expected this drama. It happened after I left the Yuva Dasara premises.
It is not a lapse on the part of the Dasara subcommittee,” he said. Somanna said the authorities would serve notice to Chandan. Asked whether they will withhold the honorarium to him, he said that they would look into it.
Meanwhile, in the wake of strong public criticism, Chandan apologized and said he took the opportunity to announce his wedding. “I did not know it was a mistake. It was my own decision and I did not inform anyone or seek the permission of the Yuva Dasara panel,” he said.
Three complaints have been registered against Chandan Shetty and Niveditha charging that the former has misused the occasion to gain publicity and of the latter for trespassing. Congress Karnataka, Praja Party and social activist Gangaraju have lodged separate complaints in Laxmipuram police station.