A 19-year-old man who was earlier seen being racially abused in a viral video said on Thursday that he had forgiven the accused, Delhi-based content creator Amir Shokeen, after the latter tendered an unconditional apology.
The social media influencer was arrested in New Delhi. The arrest came on Thursday evening, October 22, as the video clip generated massive backlash online.
"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, working as a housekeeping staff at a restaurant in Ahmedabad, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
"The influencer has already sought an unconditional apology for his act, and I have pardoned him," he said.
The controversy erupted after a video surfaced on social media showing Shokeen making derogatory remarks against the Tripura teen, drawing widespread condemnation across the Northeast.
"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," the young man said when asked about Shokeen's arrest.
The teen, who hails from North Tripura, said he feared trouble if the controversy spiralled and prompted stringent police action. He said his family of four back home depends entirely on his Rs 10,000 per month salary.
"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 the future," he said.
Political figures across party lines have condemned the incident and demanded action against the accused.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju took to X to vow action against Shokeen, saying the Delhi and Tripura police 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.
Prior to Rijiju's social media post, Tipra Motha Party founder Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma urged police to bring the accused to the state for a fair probe into the matter.
A Delhi court on Saturday remanded Shokeen to five days of police custody in connection with the case.
He was produced before Additional Sessions Judge Shilpi Jain following the end of his one-day judicial custody.
He was arrested by Delhi Police after they took note of the viral clip.
- Ends
(Based on inputs from PTI)