Recently, at the pre-release event of Retro, Vijay Deverakonda strongly condemned the Pahalgam attack in Kashmir. In doing so, he remarked that the terror attacks were akin to clashes between tribal communities hundreds of years ago. This remark by the Arjun Reddy actor resulted in a police complaint against him.
On Saturday, through his social media handles, the Family Star actor said that he used the word 'tribes' in a purely technical sense. He quoted the dictionary meaning of the term. He urged everyone not to misinterpret his speech as a slur on Scheduled Tribes, one of the most marginalized communities in India.
Here is what the Kushi actor wrote:
The word “tribe,” as I used it, was meant in the historical and dictionary sense – referring to a time centuries ago when human society globally was organized into tribes and clans, often in conflict. It was never a reference to the Scheduled Tribes classification, which was introduced during colonial and post-colonial India and formalized only in the mid-20th century – not even 100 years ago. If any part of my message was misunderstood or hurtful, I express my sincere regret. My only aim was to speak of peace, progress, and togetherness. I remain committed to using my platform to uplift and unify – never to divide.
