01-05-2025
How rapper Vedan's arrest in back-to-back cases has sparked debate on caste & suppression in Kerala
The 30-year-old rapper Hirandas Murali, famous by his stage name Vedan (hunter), was arrested Monday with eight others after police allegedly seized 6 grams of ganja from his apartment in Tripunithura near Kochi. Though he was released on bail, the Dalit rapper was arrested again the same day, this time by Kodanad forest range officials for allegedly wearing a chain with a suspected tiger's tooth. The artist was booked under non-bailable charges under multiple sections of the Wildlife Protection Act.
With the video for this song—filmed in red and blue tones symbolising the ideologies of Karl Marx and B.R. Ambedkar—began the rise of an artist in Kerala determined to use his voice to speak about caste and politics.
Thiruvananthapuram: 'I am not Paanan, Parayan or Pulayan, and you are no lord. Even if you are, I don't give a f**k,' rapped Vedan in his debut album Voice of the Voiceless, released in June 2020. Dressed in a black shirt, the young artist delivered his colourful verses, taking aim at entrenched casteism and amplifying the voices of communities relegated to the lowest rungs of the social hierarchy—including the three he named.
He was out again Wednesday evening thanks to bail granted by a court in Ernakulam. But his arrests in quick succession sparked a controversy in the state with many alleging he was being targeted for his caste and politics.
'There is a legal side to it. Considering the amount of ganja was small, it was a bailable offense. So the police informed the forest department too soon. When we look at the events and media reporting (on it), it seems they wanted him arrested,' Dr O.K. Santhosh, a Dalit writer and the Assistant Professor of Malayalam at the Madras University, told ThePrint.
ThePrint reached Kodanad forest department officials via calls. This report will be updated if and when a response is received.
Santhosh said that how Vedan is being treated in the media shows disrespect to an artist whose performance in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram drew audiences beyond capacity.
Vedan's performance in Thiruvananthapuram's Nishagandhi auditorium Thursday as part of Cooperative Expo-2025 raised serious safety concerns as the venue got overcrowded, leading to a ruckus.
'I do see caste in this issue,' Santhosh said. 'In Kerala, only tribals, Dalits, and minorities face police atrocities. People who have committed even bigger mistakes are still out in public.'
Vedan's arrest also reminded people of the 2012 case against Malayalam superstar Mohanlal who was found in possession of four ivory tusks and ivory artefacts during a raid by income tax officials. In September 2024, the Kerala High Court stayed trial proceedings against the actor for six months, while Mohanlal's counsel argued that the possessions were legal. The case remains sub-judice.
The police action against Vedan was also called out by other prominent people including state-based writer Sunil P Ilayidom, former Metropolitan of the Niranam Diocese of the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church Dr Geevarghese Mar Coorilos, singer Shahabaz Aman and actor Lali PM.
'In this country, not only people, but even animals and their body parts are subjected to caste. I stand in solidarity with Vedan's politics of 'blackness' and against drugs. Let his revolution against 'white gods' continue,' Geevarghese Mar Coorilos wrote on his Facebook page.
Amid the controversy, Vedan released a new album, Mauna Loa, Wednesday and it had garnered nearly 7 lakh views by Thursday afternoon.
Kerala Forest Minister A.K. Saseendran said the events that led to Vedan's arrest and the subsequent incidents were unfortunate. In a statement issued Wednesday night, the minister said he had sought explanations from Kodanad forest department officials for interacting with the media and violating the code of conduct.
'Vedan is an artiste with much hope as a politically aware young artiste. So, he has to rectify the doings that led to the arrest. The forest department will support him for that. There are some legal issues with the case. Let it take its course. I wish Vedan a strong comeback,' Sasseendran said in a media statement.
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Shadow of past controversies
Vedan hails from the Thrissur district. His first album Voice of voiceless in June 2020 featured his own neighbourhood named Swapnabhoomi, a locality near the Thrissur Railway station and which houses many Dalit families.
In an interview with a Malayalam YouTube channel, The Cue, Vedan had said the album faced many budgetary constraints and was shot at just Rs 10,000.
'The visuals show the area where I grew up, and I see it daily. Even now, the place is used to dump the waste collected from the district. In the song, I wanted to portray the people I am talking about,' he said in the interview.
After the song's success, the artist went on to create his next album, Bhoomi njan vaazhunnidam (the earth that I live on), the same year. While the first album talked about social inequality due to casteism, the latter one touched issues including the 2020 civil war in Syria, the Israel-Palestine crisis, and issues in India which he described as a 'place in darkness'.
In 2024, the artist collaborated with composer Sushin Shyam as a lyricist of the song 'Kuthanthram' for the popular movie Manjummel Boys.
The latest case has also brought his past controversies back into the limelight. In 2021, multiple women raised allegations of sexual misconduct against the rapper through social media. No formal complaint was filed. Following the allegations, Vedan issued a public apology on social media.
Recently, the artiste sparked debate for reacting to the controversy related to the Malayalam movie Empuraan during a stage performance.
'It is an era where even making a film could invite an Enforcement Directorate raid. Hope you are aware of what people around you are talking about. You are college-going youth—grow into politically aware individuals,' the rapper told his audiences during a performance in Kochi.
This happened soon after Empuraan director Prithiviraj Sukumaran and producer Antony Perumbavoor received income tax notices, and the ED conducted raids on the office premises of movie's producer Gokulam Gopalan. The Mohanlal movie received backlash from rightwing groups for the portrayal of the 2002 Gujarat riots.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)
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