The Karnataka Police have filed a first information report against actor Kangana Ranaut for her tweet against farmers protesting the Centre’s new agriculture laws, Bar and Bench reported on Tuesday. Ranaut had referred to the protestors as “terrorists”.
The FIR against Ranaut has been filed under Sections 44 (injury), 108 (abettor), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 153(A) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code.
A court in Karnataka’s Tumakuru district had on Friday directed the police to take action against the actor. The court’s order came after lawyer L Ramesh Naik filed a complaint.
In her tweet last month, Ranaut had accused the farmers of causing unrest in the country. “People who spread misinformation and rumours about CAA [the Citizenship Amendment] act that caused riots are the same people who are now spreading misinformations about Farmers bill and causing terror in the nation, they are terrorists,” she had said. “You very well know what I said but simply like to spread misinformation.”
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- Three methods farmers in Haryana and Punjab have used to protest against the new agriculture laws
Ranaut has made several controversial statements in the past too. The actor had become entangled in row with the Maharashtra government after she said that Mumbai felt like Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to her and that she feared living in the city. She had also criticised the Mumbai Police for its handling of actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death. The actor was given Y-plus security by the Centre.
The Centre’s controversial farm laws have sparked countrywide protests. The three ordinances – Farmers Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion & Facilitation) Ordinance 2020, The Farmers (Empowerment & Protection) Assurance and Farm Service Ordinance 2020 and The Essential Commodities (Amendment) Ordinance 2020 – were passed in September. They were signed into laws by President Ram Nath Kovind on September 27.
Critics say that these new agricultural policies will lead to farmers losing out on guaranteed purchase prices for their crops, to the benefit of large corporations. Most Opposition have also strongly opposed the bills.
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