FIRs, Summons & Subscriber Exodus: The Steep Fall Of Ranveer Allahbadia

The controversy around Ranveer Allahbadia is not going to subside anytime soon, rather the row has widened with new cases being filed against him. The YouTuber’s one remark has also created trouble for other guests of India’s Got Latent, particularly from episodes 1 to 6. Two days into the controversy, the matter has reached the Parliamentary Panel of Information Technology, let us explain to you in detail how the matter ignited, the cases filed against the YouTuber, other guests charged by cops and celebs take on the same.

The episode of the show which was shot in November premiered last week on YouTube (now deleted). It saw Ranveer, Apoorva Makhija, Ashish Chanchlani and Jaspreet Singh as guests. During the episode, Ranveer asked one of the contestants, “Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once and stop it forever.” While the audience cracked into laughter on hearing the question, it didn’t go down well with the netizens when it went viral.

A clip of his ‘dark joke’ caused a massive stir on social media on Sunday with the internet criticising and urging to unfollow/unsubscribe Allahbadia and Samay Raina.

Following the netizen’s outrage, two Mumbai lawyers, Ashish Rai and Pankaj Mishra, on Monday, submitted a complaint to Mumbai Police claiming the lewd remark was against parents, women and their bodies. Later in the afternoon, a police team reached the Habitat building in Khar where the episode was filmed.

It was followed by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announcing on social media that an FIR had been filed on the basis of a complaint by Alok Boruah from Guwahati. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) and Hindu IT Cell also lodged a complaint against Samay and Ranveer over “racist” remarks, sexual jokes and objectification.

On Monday, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis came down heavy on Ranveer Allahabadia’s comment on India’s Got Latent. He said, “Bahot bhaddde tareeke se kuch chezon kokaha gya hai. Jo bilkul galat hai. Freedom of speech sabhi ko hai, lekin humarri freedom wahi samapt ho jaati hai jahan hum kisi aur ke freedom par encorach karte hain. Aur iss prakar ka encroachment theek nai hai.” Adding to this he stressed that freedom of speech should not be misused and if such a thing happens then strict action should be taken. He added, “Humne asheelta ke bhi kuch neeyam tayaar kiye hain, agar unko koi paar karta hai toh bahot galat baat hai. Agar aisi koi baat hoti hai toh uspe kaarwaayi honi chahiye.”

On seeing a major uproar, Ranveer was quick to issue an apology. He took to his social media handle and shared a video where he admitted that he shouldn’t passed a lewd remark. “My comment wasn’t just inappropriate. It wasn’t even funny. Comedy is not my forte. I am just here to say sorry. Many of you asked if this is how I’m gonna use my platform, and obviously, this is not how I’m gonna use it. I am not going to give any context or justification or reasoning for whatever happened, I am just here to offer an apology.”

B Praak, Gaurav Taneja, Jackky Bhagnani, Javed Akhtar and Ayesha Khan, among others, came out to bash Allahbadia. Gaurav Taneja, in an interview with Republic, said that creators don’t realise but it’s going to backbite them. “Creators don’t realise that someday they will get married, and have kids. That day they will regret and then it cannot be undone,” he said. He also sent a message to all the young Creators, “Please realise your responsibility. Abhi bohot maza araha hai yeh saab karne mai, baad mai it will come and bite you back. It is not cool to say all these things.”

B Praak cancelled his appearance at his show BeerBiceps and requested comedians to save India’s culture. He bashed the YouTuber for his spirituality podcasts and Sanatan Dharma preaching and said, “You promote Sanatan Dharm, you talk about spirituality, such big names come to your show, and you have such a mentality? I request you all – If we are not able to stop this now, the future of our kids is in danger.”

It has been reported that Mumbai Police contacted Allahbadia and Raina and called them for inquiry over the comment. Earlier, a team of police also reached Allahbadia’s residence to record his statement.  5 personnel from the police arrived at the YouTuber’s Bayview apartment in Mumbai and questioned the neighbourhood.

YouTube has removed the controversial episode of Ranveer Allahabadia from Samay Raina’s show India’s Got Latent. According to information received from sources, YouTube has deleted the video from its platform after receiving a notice from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting. At the same time, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) member Priyank Kanungo had also demanded the removal of the video. NHRC had also asked to respond to this within 3 days. Many politicians and celebrities from the entertainment world have also criticised Ranveer Allahbadia. The Chief Minister of Maharashtra had assured strict action be taken against the influencer.

This can be explained by citing the dip in the followers on his Instagram and YouTube pages after his controversial remark on India’s Got Latent. According to Qoruz, an influencer marketing intelligence platform, Allahbadia has lost around 142,000 followers in just two days (since the controversy started). His Instagram handle @ranveerallahbadia reported a decline of 29K followers in 2 days, while his second Instagram page @beerbiceps witnessed a drop of 43K followers since Monday.  YouTube channels have suffered a blow due to his remark. YouTube channel BeerBiceps has lost around 50K subscribers, while his personal channel lost 20,000 followers.

So in total, he has lost 72K followers on Instagram and 70K on YouTube. Following this, he might not receive brand deals the way he used to get offered.

Maharashtra Cyber Department on Tuesday registered an FIR against YouTube reality show India’s Got Latent, which is facing criticism over crude comments made by social media influencer Ranveer Allahbadia, a police official said. Summonses were sent to about 30 guests who participated in the show from the first episode till now, he said. According to the official, the Cyber Department has registered the case under relevant sections of the IT Act and sought the removal of all episodes — total 18 — of the comedy show. During its probe, the Cyber Department found that participants and others associated with the show, including guests, were seen using “vulgar and obscene” language in the programme. It has shortlisted such people, including judges of the show and guests, he said.

It is unclear whether Ranveer Allahbadia and Samay Raina will face punishment for their remarks, and what actions the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting will take regarding such content remains to be seen.