Migrant workers row: YouTuber Manish Kashyap surrenders before Bihar police
The YouTuber surrendered in Jagdishpur police station in Bettiah when the attachment process of his house was in progress in Majhaulia in the same city on Saturday morning
YouTuber Manish Kashyap, wanted for allegedly spreading fake news about purported attacks on migrant labourers working in Tamil Nadu, surrendered before the Bihar police in West Champaran district on Saturday, officials said.
The YouTuber surrendered in Jagdishpur police station in Bettiah when the attachment process of his house was in progress under the leadership of deputy inspector general (DIG) Jayant Kant in Majhaulia in the same city on Saturday morning.
Economic Offence Unit (EOU) additional director general (ADG) NH Khan said that Kashyap will be interrogated by both the Bihar and Tamil Nadu police. “While the Bihar police have lodged three cases against him, the Tamil Nadu police have lodged nine cases,” he added.
Earlier, a fact-finding team of the Bihar government, comprising senior officers, had denied the allegations of attacks on migrant workers in the southern state. Tamil Nadu chief minister MK Stalin also rejected the allegations, warning of swift action against rumour-mongers spreading panic.
Police procured a warrant of arrest against Kashyap and another accused Yuvraj Singh Rajput and froze their bank accounts to mount pressure on them for surrender. Six teams of a special investigation team (SIT), constituted by the EOU, along with the Patna and Champaran police also raided Kashyap’s suspected locations.
“Our two teams had been camping in Delhi and Haryana for the last one week. Raids were also conducted at Noida, Sonipat and nearby areas of Delhi airport. However, there was specific information that Kashyap had left Haryana by road for Bihar. Police had started checking at both Patna and Bettiah as there was apprehension that Kashyap could try to surrender in the court,” said an EOU official.
“He will be interrogated to ascertain where did he spend his days after the search for him began and who all gave him shelter,” the official added.
“The Tamil Nadu police will reach Patna by evening to interrogate Kashyap,” said the ADG.
Kashyap had tweeted a ‘fake’ video of the attacks on migrant workers in Tamil Nadu, which went viral on social media. However, later it was found that the video had been created by the main accused Rakesh Ranjan Kumar, a native of Gopalganj district. Police said Kashyap already has seven criminal cases lodged in his name.
Kashyap, a resident of Dumri Mahnawa village in West Champaran district, runs a YouTube channel, Sach Tak News. He contested the assembly election in 2020 from the Chanpatia Assembly constituency as an independent candidate.