Casteist play was performed by Jain University students, for which there were arrests and inquiries made. This is the latest update where the host of the competition, Mount Carmel College, has been served a warning by the Bengaluru Police.
The Bengaluru police have issued a warning to Mount Carmel College for permitting an offensive skit with remarks about BR Ambedkar and the Dalit community to be performed there. According to Deccan Herald, the performance was presented at Mount Carmel College a month ago. The ‘Delroys Boys’ theatre group from Jain University’s Centre for Management Studies (CMS) presented the sketch at least three times. Seven students were taken into custody as a result of the skit, which received harsh condemnation.
The “incredibly casteist and insensitive” skit that was done at Jain University was brought to light by a group of students who started an online petition on Jhatkaa.org. The petitioners claimed that the skit normalised caste discrimination in the name of humour when they contacted the organisers, but they were ignored.
According to Under25’s Instagram page, the judges for the MadAds competition included Rebecca Florence, former vice president of the council of St Joseph College of Commerce (SJCC), Niss Geo, former student council president at Baldwins Methodist College, and Harshil J Shah, who had previously been a part of the Delroys Boys group.
“When Under25 approached the judges to disqualify the performers of the skit, the judges labelled it as dark humour and said the skit was fine. However, some members quit the association as a mark of protest against the skit,” said a student of the MCC.
A few commenters under the reel of the sketch’s contentious casteist humour on Jhatkaa’s Instagram page have argued that the skit attempts to subvert casteism towards the end and that it is unfair to draw conclusions from these snippets alone. One of these was a remark from the user name “The Delroys Boys,” who expressed disappointment with the petitioners’ attempt at “ill-informed media sensationalism” and claimed that the skit was intended as satire.
The Delroys Boys reaction
However, “The Delroys Boys” subsequently apologised on their Instagram page on February 10 for what they said was an unacceptable skit despite their best efforts to convey a social message. They also expressed regret for the damage their actions had created. On February 13, the Bengaluru police detained nine people in connection with the skit, including seven students, the centre’s director, and the program’s organiser.
Meanwhile, Krishnakant, DCP Bengaluru South, did not comment on the involvement of the MCC in the play. However, he said, “The nine accused in the case have been sent to judicial custody, and further investigation is on.”