Delhi Police registers FIR in racial abuse viral video row

Delhi Police registers FIR in racial abuse viral video row

New Delhi, Oct 22 (IANS) The Delhi Police has registered a First Information Report (FIR) on Thursday against social media influencer Amir Shokeen in connection with an alleged incident of racial harassment and humiliation of an individual from Tripura, reportedly depicted in a video circulating on social media.

This comes after the Tripura Police also lodged a case under relevant legal provisions.

Officials said that the Delhi Police has registered the case at the Sadar Bazar police station under Sections 192, 196, 352, and 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Earlier, Shokeen apologised after the offensive video surfaced on social media and earned him major backlash.

In a Facebook post, Shokeen claimed that the video was scripted and that the man featured in it was known to him. He said the man had previously worked at a friend’s cafe in Ahmedabad and described the exchange as a humorous video in which both people were joking.

He maintained that he had no intention of insulting anyone.

This is not the first time that an FIR has been filed against Amir Shokeen. Previously cases under Sections 323, 324, 504, and 506 of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) have been registered against the influencer, officials said.

Earlier, the Tripura Students Forum Delhi had submitted a formal complaint to the Delhi Police, seeking registration of an FIR and an urgent investigation into the case.

The development came after Union Minister Kiren Rijiju raised the issue on social media.

In its complaint, the Tripura Students Forum Delhi (TSF'D) sought the police's urgent intervention, expressing concern over the alleged treatment of the individual by a social media content creator.

“On behalf of the Tripura Students Forum Delhi (TSF'D), we submit this formal complaint seeking your urgent intervention into a disturbing video circulating on Instagram that allegedly depicts an individual from Tripura being subjected to sexual assault, harassment and humiliating treatment by a social media content creator,” the complaint stated.

It added that, if established through an investigation, the allegations would raise serious concerns regarding the individual's dignity, bodily autonomy and safety, as well as the protection of people from the Northeast against racial discrimination and harassment.

The Forum also alleged that the video contained racially derogatory expressions, including 'Chinki' and 'Chinese', directed at the individual.

“Such expressions, when used to demean or humiliate a person on account of their perceived ethnic or regional identity, raise serious concerns about racial prejudice, dignity and equal treatment,” the complaint stated.

The Forum further expressed concern over the alleged use of derogatory language to refer to Tripura in the video, describing it as an insult not only to the individual concerned but also to the people of the state.

--IANS

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