Kumar won an award for a Kannada film.
By The American Bazaar Staff
WASHINGTON, DC: Indian American actor Chetan Kumar, an alum of Yale University and a Fulbright Scholar to India, was reportedly assaulted by a Sub-Inspector in Bengaluru, last week.
Kumar, 31, who created a splash with his award-winning debut Kannada film ‘Aa Dinagalu’, has accused a Cubbon Park police sub-inspector Naveen (only one name given) of assaulting him over a trivial issue late on January 24 night when he was on Church Street with friends, reported The Times of India.
Kumar met Bengaluru police commissioner MN Reddi on Thursday, along with fellow actor and MLC Tara, and told him that Naveen assaulted him when he was on Church Street with friends around 1.30 a.m. and when he went to Cubbon Park police station to complain, he was again assaulted there, according to an unidentified police officer. Naveen is the son of Reddi’s personal staffer.
DCP (Central) Sandeep Patil said a complaint had been lodged with him as soon as the incident occurred, and Cubbon Park assistant commissioner of police Shobha Rani is investigating, the report said.
“We will take action based on her report. If found guilty, we will not spare anyone,” Patil was quoted as saying by the Times.
Kumar, who was born in Chicago, Illinois, attended Marist High School, and went on to graduate with a BA degree in South Asian Studies with an Emphasis on Comparative Theater Studies from Yale University in 2005. He received a Fulbright Scholarship to India in 2006.
In India, Kumar dabbled in Kannada theater, and shot to fame with his debut film ‘Aa Dinagalu’, in 2007. He won the best debut actor award at the Udaya Film Awards for the film. He has also acted in in Puneet Rajkumar’s film ‘Raam’ and was critically acclaimed for his role in the film ‘Birugaali’. His film ‘Myna’ was a box office success in 2013.
Kumar has also been working as a voluntary school teacher in Mullur, a village close to Mysore, Karnataka.