A case has been registered against Munmun Dutta for using a casteist slur in her make-up video and an investigation is underway.
A case has been registered against the Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah (TMKOC) actor Munmun Dutta under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act on Tuesday, 17 May. She recently used a casteist slur in one of her make-up videos. After facing backlash, Dutta issued an apology on Instagram and said that the word was misinterpreted due to the language barrier.
In a report in ETimes, DSP Bhanwar Singh Sisodia was quoted saying that a case has been registered against the actress after the complaint of 42-year old Manoj Parmar and an investigation is underway. In her make-up video, Munmun had said that she wants to look good and then used a casteist slur for saying that she does not want to look that way.
Previously, a case under the same act was filed against Dutta at Haryana’s Hansi after a complaint was filed by Rajat Kalsan, convenor of the National Alliance for Dalit Human Rights. This case was registered on Thursday, 13 May. Commenting about the development, Nitika Gahlaut, Superintendent of Police had said that they are doing an investigation into the matter.
In her apology, Dutta had said that she was misinformed about the meaning of the word and took the post down when she was made aware of the meaning. She apologised to everyone who was hurt by her usage of the word.
Many people on social media called her out for what was perceived as a half-hearted apology. Masaan famed Neeraj Ghaywan had said that there is no other interpretation [of the word used by Munmum]. He shared that Dutta said the B-word and there is no way to cover it up. The National Award-winning director asked the actor to apologise and shut up.