Vijay Deverakonda Lands In Legal Trouble; SC/ST Act Invoked Over Tribal Remarks

Vijay Deverakonda has landed in controversy after a complaint was filed against him for allegedly making offensive remarks against the tribal community during the pre-release event for the movie Retro. The case has been registered under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and is currently under investigation.

According to media reports, Nenavath Ashok Kumar Naik, State President of the Joint Action Committee of Tribal Communities, lodged a formal complaint stating that Deverakonda’s comments were deeply hurtful and insulting to tribal sentiments.

“The actor made comments in April. However, based on a complaint, a case under the SC/ST Act was booked against him on 17 June,” a police official told PTI.

During the pre-release event of Surya’s film Retro, Vijay addressed the Pahalgam terror attack and said, “The solution to what is happening in Kashmir is also to educate them (terrorists) and ensure they don’t get brainwashed. What will they achieve? Kashmir belongs to India, and Kashmiris are ours. India doesn’t even need to attack Pakistan because Pakistanis themselves are fed up with their government and will attack them if this continues. Asalu 500 years back tribals kokkutunnatu, veelu buddi lekunda, minimum common sense lekunda chese panulu.” (They behave like tribals did 500 years ago, fighting without common sense).

After facing backlash for his comments, the actor took to X and wrote, “It has come to my attention that a remark I made during the Retro audio launch event has caused concern among some members of the public. I wish to sincerely clarify: there was absolutely no intention to hurt or target any community, especially our Scheduled Tribes, who I deeply respect and consider an integral part of our country.”

Meanwhile on the work front, is currently awaiting the release of his upcoming Telugu film Kingdom, directed by Gowtam Tinnanuri. The film was initially scheduled for release on May 30, 2025 but has now been postponed to July 4, 2025.