Maharashtra cyber police summons influencer and others day after registering FIR

Ranveer Allahbadia. Pic/Instagram

The Maharashtra cyber police has summoned more than 40 persons including Ranveer Allahbadia and Samay Raina, asking them to join the probe, a day after it registered an FIR into the case, reported the PTI.

The cyber police had on Tuesday registered an FIR over Ranveer Allahbadia's controversial remarks on a YouTube reality show.

The cyber police, which have registered a First Information Report in the case, issued notices on Tuesday to the social media influencer and others including 'guests' and 'judges' who had participated in the past episodes of "India's Got Latent", an official said on Wednesday, as per the PTI.

While nobody had appeared so far, the lawyers of some of these persons have approached cyber police seeking more time, he said.

The FIR was registered under relevant sections of the Information Technology Act on Tuesday. The department has also asked the producers of the reality show to take down all its 18 episodes from social media platforms, the official said, as per the PTI.

Preliminary probe revealed that many participants allegedly used vulgar and obscene language during earlier episodes too, he said.

Separately, Khar police station in Mumbai, in response to a complaint filed by a local BJP functionary, on Wednesday recorded the statements of four persons including social media influencer Apoorva Makhija as well as Allahbadia's manager in connection with the controversy. But no FIR has been registered yet on this complaint, the news agency reported on Wednesday.

Allahbadia, who has more than 16 million followers across social media platforms, found himself in trouble after video clips of his 'obscene and vulgar' comments during the latest episode of "India's Got Latent" went viral, setting off a chorus of demand that action should be taken.

He tried to defuse the situation by issuing a video apology where he called his comment a "lapse in judgement".

The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Tuesday asked Ranveer Allahbadia, Samay Raina, Apoorva Makhija, Jaspreet Singh, and Ashish Chanchlani, as well as the show's producers Tushar Poojari and Saurabh Bothra to appear before it on February 17 in New Delhi.

(with PTI inputs)