HYDERABAD/CHENNAI : Actor Kasthuri Shankar was arrested by a special team of the Tamil Nadu police on Saturday in Narsingi police station limits here for her alleged remarks against Telugu people during an event in Chennai last month.
A top Cyberabad police official confirmed to TNIE that the actor was arrested in the city by cops from Tamil Nadu.
TN police sources said that she had been evading arrest by taking refuge at a friend’s house in Hyderabad. The actor would now be brought to Chennai and produced before a magistrate court, they added.
On Friday, the Madurai Bench of the Madras HC dismissed an anticipatory bail petition filed by Kasthuri in a case registered against her by the Madurai Thirunagar police over her remarks.
Justice N Anand Venkatesh, who passed the order, said, “The petitioner’s speech clearly hovers around hate speech. In a diverse country like ours, there must be zero tolerance whenever such speech is made by demeaning a particular group of people based on their language.”
Kasthuri has acted in more than 15 films in the Telugu industry, including the widely acclaimed Annamayya. After the outcry over her remarks at an event in Chennai last month, she claimed that her opinions were specific to certain individuals and not directed at the broader Telugu community. She alleged the controversy was being twisted by the DMK ecosystem into a pan-Telugu issue.
‘Apology to escape consequences not tolerable’
“It was never my intention to hurt or offend my Telugu extended family. I am sorry for any ill feeling. I withdraw all references to Telugu in my speech,” she said in a statement.
However, Justice Venkatesh observed that making derogatory statements and then tendering an apology to escape consequences cannot be tolerated. It might be noted that certain outfits in Tamil Nadu are known for being vocal against the Telugu community. Recently, Telugu organisations in Tamil Nadu sought action against Naam Tamilar Katchi supremo Seeman for his alleged divisive speeches against linguistic minorities.