2 min readBengaluruUpdated: Nov 1, 2026 12:23 PM ISTThe police have launched an investigation after protesters disrupted a play directed by Addanda Cariappa (Express photo/Special arrangement).Controversial theatre personality and former Mysuru Rangayana director Addanda C Cariappa was allegedly attacked by a group of protesters who smeared his face with ink in Bengaluru on Saturday.The incident occurred at Suchitra Film Academy in Banashankari during the staging of ‘Gandhi Hathyeya Sathya’ (The Truth Behind Gandhi’s Assassination), a controversial play written and directed by Cariappa that centres on Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. The Rangabhoomi Trust, Kodagu, organised the event.According to a senior police officer, protesters arrived while the play was underway on Saturday evening and strongly objected to its depiction of Mahatma Gandhi.Protesters, led by Kushal Hanumegowda, filed a complaint with the police alleging that Cariappa was spreading misinformation about Mahatma Gandhi by depicting him as an “anti-national” and “slave of Muslims”.The complaint further alleged that the event was organised to portray Gandhi and the Congress in a negative light over the country’s partition, incorporating false claims such as “Rs 50 crore was paid to Pakistan during partition”.When audience members questioned the narrative during the performance, Cariappa allegedly abused them using foul language, according to the complaint. The Banashankari police have registered a case and started a detailed investigation into the incident.Cariappa, a prominent theatre artist who was appointed director of the performing arts theatre Rangayana during the BJP’s tenure in Karnataka, has frequently been involved in controversies.Story continues below this adIn 2022, he sparked widespread debate with his book Tipu Nija Kanasugalu (Real Dreams of Tipu), in which he claimed Mysuru ruler Tipu Sultan was killed by Vokkaliga chieftains Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda rather than by British forces in the fourth Anglo-Mysore War of 1799. Cariappa later contradicted his own claims, admitting the two chieftains were fictional characters he created, and apologised to Nirmalananda Swamy.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdAdvertisementLoading Recommendations...AdvertisementAdvertisement