Guwahati: Assam Police are set to send fresh summons to the YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, who had not appeared before the investigation team against the earlier summons.
A senior police official Friday said, “A team of CID will travel to Mumbai shortly to Allahbadia’s house, and they will hand over a fresh set of summons for appearing before the investigation team on the probe.”
Allahbadia was supposed to appear before the Assam Police the previous week in the case related to his controversial comments on the stage of the ‘India’s Got Latent’ show that has attracted massive backlash for the podcaster.
A case against Allahbadia was registered in Guwahati, and he was served summons to appear before the Assam Police here. The Guwahati Crime Branch, in the previous week, questioned another YouTuber, Ashish Chanchalani, who has also been embroiled in the controversy for his comments made during an episode of the show.
The interrogation lasted for several hours after the YouTuber arrived at the Crime Branch office. He was questioned about a number of accusations before being let go in the evening. “YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani showed up for interrogation at the Crime Branch. He has complied with our inquiry. We will phone him if necessary, but we are not currently calling him again. Police notices have not yet received a response from other people connected to the investigation. They will receive new summonses shortly,” Guwahati’s Joint Police Commissioner Ankur Jain told reporters here.
On February 21, the Supreme Court asked the Governments of Maharashtra and Assam to respond to the YouTuber’s request to have a formal complaint against the show’s alleged pornographic remarks dismissed or transferred to Mumbai.
When Allahbadia made controversial comments on the show hosted by Samay Raina, Chanchlani was listed in the Assam FIR. Due to his remarks regarding parents and sex in an episode of the show, Ranveer Allahbadia, better known by his stage name BeerBiceps, was the target of multiple formal complaints.
Chanchlani has pleaded for the FIR filed at the Guwahati Crime Branch, Guwahati Police Commissionerate’s Cyber Police Station to be quashed because the Maharashtra FIR was filed first. The YouTuber requested that the Guwahati FIR be transferred to Mumbai.
While considering Chanchlani’s anticipatory bail motion, the Gauhati High Court granted him temporary relief February 18 and instructed him to appear in person before the investigating officer within ten days.
The lawyer for Chanchlani contended that their client made no statements on the show and that the FIR’s accusations were limited to the co-accused. In accordance with certain provisions of the Bhartiya Nyay Sanhtia, Information Technology Act, Cinematograph Act, and Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, the Guwahati Police filed a formal complaint February 10.
