YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia was seen at the Maharashtra Cyber Cell headquarter in Navi Mumbai on Monday, his first appearance amid the controversy his remarks in the YouTube show 'India's Got Latent'.
Apart from Ranveer Allahbadia, YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani was also seen at the Maharashtra Cyber Cell headquarter. Both of them had come to record their statements in connection with India's Got Latent case.
"Ashish Chanchlani and Ranveer Allahbadia contacted Maharashtra Cyber Cell officials. Both told the officials that they wanted to record their statements. Maharashtra Cyber Cell has sent summons to both of them to record their statements today" news agency ANI quoted the Maharashtra Cyber Cell earlier on Monday.
Ranveer Allahbadia, who wore a black face mask to avoid media attention, was seen leaving the headquarters around 5 pm. He boarded a private cab and left, while Chanchlani departed an hour later in his car.
{{/usCountry}}Ranveer Allahbadia, who wore a black face mask to avoid media attention, was seen leaving the headquarters around 5 pm. He boarded a private cab and left, while Chanchlani departed an hour later in his car.
{{/usCountry}}Maharashtra Cyber officials questioned Ranveer Allahbadia and Ashish Chanchlani for around five hours, a news agency PTI report quoted an official as saying.
The duo appeared separately at the cyber headquarters in Navi Mumbai after skipping previous summons issued by the agency.
Ranveer Allahbadia and Ashish Chanchlani appeared at the cyber headquarters around 11.30 am following which their statements were recorded, an official said without elaborating.
India's Got Latent row
Ranveer Allahbadia, also known as BeerBiceps, found himself at the centre of a massive controversy after his remarks about parents and sex on comedian Samay Raina's YouTube show, India's Got Latent, went viral earlier this month.
Apart from Ranveer Allahbadia, Samay Raina and Ashish Chanchlani, the now-removed episode in question featured other content creators such as Apoorva Mukhija, popularly known as ‘The Rebel Kid’, and comedian Jaspreet Singh.
The remarks by Ranveer Allahbadia faced massive backlash, triggering FIRs and ending up being raised in Parliament. Amid the row, comedian Samay Raina removed all episodes of India’s Got Latent from YouTube.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) had summoned the individuals involved in the controversial India's Got Latent episode, including Samay Raina, Ranveer Allahbadia, Apoorva Mukhija, and others, to appear before them for questioning on February 17 in New Delhi.
The NCW later isued new hearing dates to Ranveer Allahbadia, Samay Raina, Apoorva Mukhija, Ashish Chanchlani and others after they failed to appear before the commission in person in connection.
Apart from NCW taking congnisance of the matter, FIRs were filed against Ranveer Allahbadia in Maharashtra and Assam.
On February 18, the Supreme Court granted interim protection from arrest to Ranveer Allahbadia over his comments on the YouTube show, while calling it "vulgar" and saying he had "dirty mind" which put the society to shame.
"Where is the question of an individual's morality? We can understand if one person says I don't like these kinds of words. You tell us, if there is anyone on earth who would like these kinds of words. You are insulting parents… We don't want to say anything further but there is something very dirty in his mind that has been vomited by him in this kind of a programme. Why should the court entertain this kind of person? You please tell us," said Justice Surya Kant.