Devarakonda booked for controversial remarks on tribals

Hyderabad: Raidurgam police in Cyberabad have filed a case against Telugu actor Vijay Deverakonda allegedly he made derogatory comments about tribal communities at a public event two months ago.

A formal complaint has been lodged against Vijay Deverakonda by Nenavath Ashok Kumar Naik, State President of the Joint Action Committee of Tribal Communities, at Saidabad Police Station.

On April 26, 2025, Devarakonda was at the pre-release event for the movie 'Retro,' which stars actor Surya. At this event, he made insulting and racially charged comments about tribal communities.

The actor spoke about India-Pakistan tensions during ‘Operation Sindhoor’ allegedly comparing the incident to historic clashes involving tribal communities. He said, "They (tribals) fought 500 years ago without any intelligence or common sense." Many found these comments humiliating and discriminatory. They spread quickly on social media and news sites, causing anger among tribal groups.

Ashok Kumar Naik, in his complaint, pointed out that the comments breach constitutional protections for Scheduled Tribes (STs). He called for legal action under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and relevant sections of BNS for fostering enmity between groups.