Actor Kamal Haasan is not aware of Kannada's ancient history: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, May 28 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday said the Kannada language has a very long history, and actor Kamal Haasan is unaware of it.
The CM's statement came in response to Haasan's recent remark at the audio launch of his upcoming film ‘Thug Life’ in Chennai, where he claimed that 'Tamil gave birth to Kannada'.
"Kannada language has a very long history....he (Kamal Hassan) doesn't know," Siddaramaiah told reporters.
The comments have sparked outrage among several pro-Kannada outfits. These groups staged protests against Hassan in various parts of the state like Belagavi, Mysuru Hubballi, Bengaluru, among others.
The activists claimed that Kannada has a history spanning thousands of years. As a demonstration of their anger, they burnt Kamal Hassan's posters at Belagavi and few other places, and raised slogans against him.
Condemning the actor-politician's statement, the agitators demanded that he apologise to the people of the state.
They have even threatened to obstruct screening of his film ‘Thug Life’ in the state, if he fails to issue an apology.
Karnataka BJP President B Y Vijayendra on Tuesday had accused Kamal Haasan of "disrespecting" Kannada in his effort to glorify his own mother tongue.
He also demanded that the actor issue an “unconditional apology to Kannadigas immediately”.
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Four more arrested in brigadier assault case in Delhi
New Delhi (PTI): Four more accused have been arrested in connection with the alleged assault on an Army brigadier, his son and threatening his wife in southwest Delhi's Vasant Enclave area, police said on Friday.
The accused have been identified as Surjit Singh (36), Sunil Sharma (53) and Ashish (32), all from Mehram Nagar in Delhi, and Satender (35) of Bhiwani in Haryana, police said.
According to police, Surjit Singh was known to the main accused Satender, a director of an aviation company. All of them were sitting together in Mehram Nagar when Satender called them regarding a quarrel in Vasant Enclave.
"Following the call, all four left for the spot in Surjit's white Hyundai Aura. After reaching there, they got involved in the altercation and assault before returning to their respective homes," a senior police officer said.
After learning about the registration of the case, the accused fled and went into hiding, he said.
"Teams were constituted to trace them and all four absconding accused were arrested," he said.
The Hyundai Aura used in the incident has also been recovered, police said.
Further investigation into the case is underway. The role of each accused is being examined, they said.
According to the investigators, the incident took place on the night of April 11, when the brigadier and his son objected to the two men allegedly consuming alcohol inside a car parked outside their residence. Soon, others reached the spot and allegedly assaulted the officer and his son, besides abusing and threatening his wife.
