A YouTuber from Delhi has been arrested over a video in which he allegedly hurled racial insults at a man from Tripura. Police named him as Amir Shaukeen, also known as Muhammad Amir, though he is better known online as Amir Shokeen. He was caught in the Karol Bagh area following raids in different parts of the city.
Delhi Police's North District said it came across the video on social media. The clip allegedly shows the Sadar Bazar resident making racist comments about a man from Tripura. Treating it as a serious matter, the Sadar Bazar police station filed an FIR under Sections 192, 196, 352 and 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on a complaint from a police officer.
A number of police teams were then sent out to track him down, and he was taken into custody after searches that went on through the day. According to police, he is recorded as a “bad character” at the Sadar Bazar police station, with a history of previous cases against him. The investigation is ongoing.
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In the video, the man from Tripura is allegedly referred to as “Chinese” and quizzed about whether he leads a neighbouring country.
Video Sparks Outrage Among Political Leaders
Politicians from different parties condemned the clip. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju posted part of the video on X late on Wednesday. “This evil man will be punished,” he wrote, adding that Delhi Police and Tripura Police would “teach him a hard lesson.”
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha is said to have instructed the state's top police officer to work with Delhi Police on the case. Separately, a complaint lodged with Tripura Police accuses the YouTuber of racial harassment, online bullying and insulting remarks about the state's indigenous people.
Rajya Sabha MP James K Sangma had also written to Delhi Police Commissioner Anurag Kumar on October 20, asking for an FIR to be registered and for the youth's safety, privacy and dignity to be protected. He asked the Delhi Police's special unit for people from the Northeast to look after the youth's welfare.
Apology Before Arrest
Before he was arrested, Shokeen shared a video in which he apologised with folded hands. He claimed the original clip was supposed to be funny and that he hadn't known Tripura was a state.
“If any brother from Tripura was hurt by it, I am once again folding my hands and apologising,” he said. “I have made a mistake.”
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