New Delhi: The Union government has decided to cancel the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) status of Kannada actor and activist Chetan Kumar ‘Ahimsa’, who has been a strident critic of Hindutva.
The actor was arrested on March 21 by the Bengaluru police for a tweet in which he said, “Hindutva is built on lies.” According to The News Minute, the actor has recently received a letter from the Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO), dated March 28, directing him to return his OCI card within 15 days of receiving the letter.
OCI is a category of immigration status granted to foreign nationals of Indian origin, which gives them the ability to reside and work in India indefinitely. OCI card holders enjoy several advantages, including visa-free travel to India, employment and education opportunities, and access to specific public services and benefits. It is a misnomer, as persons who have Overseas Citizenship of India status are not actually citizens of India.
According to the report, he also received some communication from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) that his OCI was cancelled with immediate effect because of alleged ‘anti-national’ activities and derogatory comments against judges.
The MHA’s notice claims that Kumar has been “involved in many unlawful activities”. “The activities of Mr Chatan A Kumar are inimical to the interests of general public (sic),” it continues.
In February 2022, Kumar was arrested for his comments on one of the Karnataka high court judges who was hearing the challenge to a ban on the hijab in government schools. In a February 16, 2022 tweet, the actor has noted that a judge in the ‘hijab ban’ case had allegedly made “disturbing comments” in an earlier rape case. Chetan was referring to a 2020 order in which the judge had observed that it was “unbecoming of an Indian woman” to “fall asleep” after she is “ravished”, granting advance bail to a rape accused.
Also Read: The Stoic Silence of Kannada Film Industry Over Chetan Ahimsa’s Arrest Is No Surprise
The cancellation of his OCI status is the outcome of a show-cause notice by the FRRO in June 2022 which stated that he made “derogatory comments against judges and committed other anti-national activities”. He was asked for an explanation as to why his OCI status should not be cancelled. According to TNM, Chetan replied that he has lived in India for many years and has been involved in social work and in the making of films.
But the MHA has deemed his reply “unsatisfactory”, according to the report.
Kumar told TNM that his OCI status was cancelled to “create an atmosphere of fear and give a warning to anyone who questions the government”. He added, “This seems to be an act of the Union government, with support from state-level lobbies, to silence activists and create an atmosphere of fear in the country.”
The actor told the website that trouble regarding his OCI status began when he took on Brahminism. Two cases were filed against him in June 2021 for a video in which he denounced Brahminism, describing it as the root of caste inequality in Indian society. He had mentioned that his comments were against the ideology of Brahminism and not the Brahmin community, According to TNM, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad had written to the FRRO demanding that Chetan’s OCI status should be cancelled.