A case has been registered against actor Vijay Deverakonda under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for his “offensive” remarks, Hyderabad Police confirmed on Sunday.

Although Vijay’s comments were made at a pre-release event for actor Surya’s Retro in May, the case was registered on June 17, police sources told PTI. Speaking about the Pahalgam terror attack, the 36-year-old had likened acts of Pakistan-sanctioned terror to tribal conflicts.

State president of the Joint Action Committee of Tribal Communities, Nenavath Ashok Kumar Naik lodged the complaint, describing the comparison as “racially insensitive”.

Speaking about the attack during the event, Vijay had said, “Kashmir belongs to India, and Kashmiris are ours. India doesn’t even need to attack Pakistan because Pakistanis are fed up with their government and will attack them if this continues.” He continued in Telugu, “They behave like tribals did 500 years ago, fighting without common sense.”

Soon after, the actor apologized for his comments with a long note on X. “I wish to sincerely clarify: there was absolutely no intention to hurt or target any community,” a part of the post read.