NEW DELHI: Amid the raging controversy over YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia's objectionable remarks, the National Commission for Women (NCW) on Tuesday issued summons to the podcaster, comedian Samay Raina, and others.
The move came as Women and Child Development (WCD) Minister Annapurna Devi said she had sought a report from the NCW on the controversial issue.
There was more trouble for Allahbadia, who is popularly known as Beerbiceps. The Maharashtra police filed a case against him and others, including the guests who attended the show.
This came a day after Assam police filed a case against the 31-year-old, who has 4.5 million followers on Instagram and over 1 crore YouTube subscribers.
Allahbadia landed in the huge row after his appearance on the “India’s Got Latent” show. The YouTuber has issued an apology for his remarks.
Apart from Allahbadia and Raina, others who have been summoned by the NCW on February 17 at 12 noon at their New Delhi office include Apoorva Makhija, Jaspreet Singh, Ashish Chanchlani, Tushar Poojari, and Saurabh Bothra.
Expressing strong concern over the derogatory and racist comments, the NCW said they had taken serious note of the vulgar and offensive remarks made by the content creators.
“These comments, which have sparked widespread public outrage, violate the dignity and respect owed to every individual, particularly in a society that upholds equality and mutual respect.”
“In light of this concern, under the instructions of NCW Chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar, a hearing has been scheduled to address the controversial remarks made by the content creators on India’s Got Latent,” a statement issued by the Commission said.
The NCW on Monday had urged Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to take immediate regulatory measures to address serious concerns regarding the increasing prevalence of obscene content on various over-the-top (OTT) platforms and social media outlets.
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had also issued a notice to YouTube and asked them to take down all types of content that use abusive and obscene language.
In the show, Allahbadia asked a question to a contestant that he copied from a recent episode of OG Crew's Truth or Drink. He had asked: “Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once and stop it forever?”
The question triggered a massive controversy. In a video message on X, Allahbadia issued an apology. "I shouldn't have said what I said on India’s Got Latent. I'm sorry... My comment wasn’t just inappropriate, it wasn’t even funny. Comedy is not my forte; I am just here to say sorry."