Complaint filed against Ranveer Allahbadia, Samay Raina and ...

YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia has issued an apology on Monday following a controversial remark he made that sparked widespread criticism with calls for his podcast to be banned. Politicians, including Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Opposition leaders in the State, condemned him for misusing freedom of speech. Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for honouring Mr. Allahbadia, who boasts over 6 lakh followers on X, 4.5 million on Instagram, and more than 1 crore subscribers on YouTube, with a “National Creators Award” presented to him before the 2024 Lok Sabha election.

The 31-year-old social media influencer became a trending topic on the internet after his comment on an episode of stand-up comedian Samay Raina’s YouTube reality show ‘India’s Got Latent’ drew attention. The show, popular among young audiences for its edgy and often provocative content, featured Mr. Allahbadia posing a question to a contestant about parents and sex, which was widely criticised and even led to police complaints against Mr. Allahbadia, another social media influencer Apoorva Makhija, comedian Raina, and the organisers of the show. “An inquiry is on,” Mumbai Police said, adding that no case has been registered so far.

In a video, Mr. Allahbadia said: “I should not have said what I said on India’s Got Talent. I’m sorry.” He further admitted, “My comment wasn’t just inappropriate, it wasn’t even funny. Comedy is not my forte. I personally had a lapse in judgment that wasn’t cool on my part, especially on a platform watched by people of all ages.”

The podcaster, who earlier partnered with the Digital India Corporation to interview a series of Union Ministers, stressed his commitment to using his platform responsibly, stating: “Family is the last thing I would ever disrespect. [I] need to use this platform better — that’s been my learning from the whole experience.”

Mr. Allahbadia said that he has requested the makers of the video to remove the insensitive portions and promised to improve moving forward. He concluded his statement by asking for forgiveness, saying: “All I can say is, I’m sorry. I hope you can forgive me as a human being.”

In response to the incident, Mr. Fadnavis said: “I have come to know about it. I have not seen it yet. Things have been said and presented in a wrong way. Everyone has freedom of speech, but our freedom ends when we encroach upon the freedom of others. In our society, we have made some rules, if someone violates them, it is absolutely wrong, and action should be taken against them.”

General secretary of Bhartiya Influencers Association, Neelkant Bakshi also condemned the remarks and said: “A social media influencer, @BeerBicepsGuy (Mr. Allahbadia) has shown his true colours by his disgustingly vulgar comments on a comedy show which is popular on social media, in the garb of freedom of speech. This is beyond any shred of decency. As the general secretary of Bhartiya Influencers Association, I am disturbed and strongly condemn his comments.”

Writer-storyteller Neelesh Misra shared the controversial clip from the show on his social media page, with his caption beginning with: “Meet the perverted creators who are shaping our country’s creative economy.”

Referring to the show, Mr. Misra said this content is not designated as adult content. “It can be seen with ease even by a child if the algorithm takes him or her there. The creators or the platform have zero sense of responsibility... Banal, crass, insensitive are words only for boring, uncool people. These creators can say anything in the name of freedom of speech and get away with it,” he further wrote.

Mr. Wadettiwar labelled the remarks as “extremely filthy and offensive”. “The statements made are deeply disrespectful, especially the language used against parents. Such remarks amount to an insult and should not be tolerated. Shows like these should be banned as they set a wrong example for children and the next generation.”

“A person who made such statements was once awarded by the Prime Minister. A criminal case must be registered against him, and strict action should be taken,” he said.

Expressing personal anguish, the Congress leader added: “As a father, it pains me to hear such words. The Prime Minister must exercise caution before honouring individuals like this in the future, as it only encourages them to behave irresponsibly.”

Former National Commission for Women (NCW) chief and Rajya Sabha MP Rekha Sharma also expressed shock over the remarks. “The video is very shocking and I think whether it is a female or a male, this kind of joke is never accepted by society. Making jokes about a mother or a female’s body doesn’t look good and somewhere it shows how today’s youth has stooped down to such a level morally. I think such jokes affect others who are engaged in similar creative things. I have just forwarded that video to the NCW Chairperson to take action.”

Shiv Sena, through its spokesperson Raju Waghmare, also condemned the remarks made on the show. The spokesperson issued a stern warning to the producers saying: “In the State of Maharashtra, under the legacy of Shivaji Maharaj, such language will not be tolerated. They should stop all this immediately; otherwise, we will take action in our own style.”

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi said: “Any abusive language in the name of comedy content crossing limits is not acceptable. You get a platform, that doesn’t mean that you will utter anything. He is someone with millions of subscribers, every political [leader] has sat in his podcast. PM has given him an award... As a member of standing committee of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, I will raise this issue...”

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that Guwahati Police have filed a First Information Report (FIR) against comedian Mr. Raina and the judges of his show ‘India’s Got Latent’ under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The FIR includes Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, Apoorva Makhija, Mr. Allahbadia, and Mr. Raina, among others. They are accused of promoting obscenity and participating in sexually explicit conversations on the show.

“Today @GuwahatiPol has registered an FIR against against certain Youtubers and social Influencers, namely Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, Apoorva Makhija, Ranveer Allahbadia, Samay Raina and others for promoting obscenity and engaging in sexually explicit and vulgar discussion in a show titled ‘ India’s Got Latent’,” he posted on X.

Mr. Sarma further said that an investigation is currently under progress.