Agartala, Oct 23: A 19-year-old youth from Tripura, who was allegedly subjected to racial abuse in a viral video, on Thursday said he had pardoned Delhi-based content creator Amir Shokeen after the latter tendered an unconditional apology.
Meanwhile, Shokeen was arrested in New Delhi on Thursday evening for allegedly subjecting the Tripura youth to racial abuse and humiliation, an official said.
“The video, which went viral on social media, was actually shot around a month ago, maybe out of fun in Ahmedabad. I did not know someone was filming me. I came to know only when the video was uploaded on social media a few days ago, and I was upset,” the teenager, a housekeeping staff at a restaurant in the Gujarat city, said.
“The influencer has already sought an unconditional apology for his act, and I have pardoned him,” he said.
A video purportedly showing Shokeen making derogatory remarks against the Tripura youth went viral on the social media, triggering widespread condemnation across the North East.
“I did not want the influencer to get arrested for filming the video and uploading it on social media. In fact, I don’t want to get entangled in legal complications. I want nothing,” he said when asked about Shokeen’s arrest.
The teen, who hails from the Anandabazar area of North Tripura, said he feared trouble if the controversy escalated and led to stringent police action.
He said that he earns Rs 10,000 a month, the sole source of income for his family of four back home.
“I studied at St Paul’s School in Agartala till Class 9 and had to discontinue my studies to earn money to feed my family. I joined the restaurant as a housekeeping staff three-and-a-half months ago, with a monthly salary of Rs 10,000. I will be in trouble in future,” he said.
Leaders across party lines have condemned the alleged incident and demanded action.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju on a microblogging website said Shokeen would face action and police in Delhi and Tripura would teach him a “hard lesson”.
“This evil man will be punished. There was a delay in lodging the official complaint, but Delhi Police and Tripura Police will teach him a hard lesson,” the minister said.
Earlier in the day, TIPRA Motha Party founder Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma urged the police to bring Shokeen to the State for a fair investigation into the matter.
Police sources said a Tripura Police team is expected to land in Delhi and will first visit the Sadar Bazar Police Station, where it will take custody of Shokeen from the Delhi Police.
PTI