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FIR filed in Arunachal against Punjab man for racist remarks in YouTube video
Paras Singh, the Punjab man whose video on his YouTube channel, Paras Official, triggered outrage , has apologised for his offensive remarks. A video was later also posted by his mother who asked people to forgive him.
The Arunachal Pradesh Police on Monday registered a First Information Report against a Punjab-based YouTuber for racial slurs against a former Union minister Ninong Ering and people of the northeastern state in a video uploaded on Sunday.
Paras Singh’s video had gone viral soon after he uploaded the video on his YouTube channel “Paras Official” on Sunday, provoking massive outrage and support for demands for stringent action against him.
In his video, Paras Singh commented that Ering, a sitting MLA, doesn’t look like an Indian and even his name “sounds foreign”. He also said people from Arunachal Pradesh don’t look like Indians and the state was probably a part of China.
Paras Singh was sore that Ninong Ering had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to seek a ban on a gaming app called Battlegrounds Mobile India, saying it was a new version of PUBG, another game which was banned in India earlier. His YouTube channel, which focuses on video and online games, has 4,55,000 subscribers.
As the chorus for action against the young Punjab man became louder, Arunachal Pradesh chief minister Pema Khandu stepped in on Monday to announce that a FIR had been filed against him.
“Based on the video that aims at inciting ill will and hatred towards the people of Arunachal Pradesh, police have already initiated action,” Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu tweeted on Monday.
He said a police case under sections 124A, 153A and 505(2) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) for sedition, promoting hatred or ill-will between racial or regional groups and public mischief with intention to incite a community, was registered.
“Social media account of the person is being thoroughly investigated for details about his activities. Technical resources are being employed to gather his current whereabouts. Use of social media should be with due caution and any infringement will lead to action as per law,” Khandu said in another tweet.
Following the reaction on social media platforms, Paras Singh deleted the video and posted a new one to apologise for his remarks. Later in the evening, his mother also posted another video to make the same point. She said her son had been picked up by some people who identified themselves as policemen and asked people to forgive “my only child”.
