Police suspend staging of controversial Gandhi play, Addanda Cariappa attacked again

In a notice pasted on the academy’s gate, the jurisdictional Banashankari Police said complaints and counter-complaints regarding the play were under investigation.

The Bengaluru City Police directed the management of Suchitra Cinema and Cultural Academy to suspend all ongoing and scheduled performances of the controversial play Gandhi Hatyeya Satya, by former Rangayana director Addanda C. Cariappa. The play, scheduled for its last show on Monday (November 2), was cancelled.

In a notice pasted on the academy's gate, the jurisdictional Banashankari Police said complaints and counter-complaints regarding the play were under investigation and warned that the management would face legal consequences if any performance was held and resulted in a law-and-order problem.

The police action comes amid escalating protests over the play. The staging of the play was disrupted and ink thrown on Mr. Cariappa on October 31. The group of protesters also lodged a complaint with the police alleging that the play distorts history and makes derogatory references.

On Monday afternoon, tension prevailed outside the academy in Banashankari after protesters, allegedly belonging to the Congress, confronted Mr. Cariappa while he was addressing the media. Some demonstrators reportedly hurled slippers at him, accusing him of spreading falsehoods and tarnishing Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy. Police personnel intervened to prevent the situation from escalating.

Earlier in the day, a delegation of Congress workers led by Lakshman M. staged a protest at the Bengaluru City Police Commissioner’s office, demanding that the play be cancelled and Mr. Cariappa arrested. Despite complaints by the Congress party, he said the play was being staged under police protection. “It is unfortunate that this is happening under a Congress government. Party workers are beginning to wonder whether Karnataka is being governed by the Congress or the BJP,” he said.

Prakash Belawadi, of the Academy, termed the incident unfortunate and said that while everyone had the right to protest, no one should take the law into their own hands. He said that those who have objections to a particular show should seek legal recourse rather than resorting to physical attacks or disrupting performances.

He also maintained that the cancellation of shows of comedians Munawar Faruqui and Kunal Kamra was equally wrong, stressing that artistic freedom and the right to perform must be respected.