A Delhi-based social media content creator, Amir Shokeen, was arrested by the North District police in Karol Bagh on Thursday evening for allegedly subjecting a youth from Tripura to racial abuse and humiliation, an official said.
A video purportedly showing Mr. Shokeen making derogatory remarks against the youth has gone viral on social media, triggering widespread condemnation across the Northeast.
In a post on X, Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “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.”
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha has directed the State’s Director General of Police to coordinate with Delhi Police over the matter.
Delhi Police’s Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit has joined the investigation into the video, senior officials told The Hindu on Thursday.
The Agartala police have registered a case and are expected to come to Delhi to investigate the matter, Additional Commissioner of Police (IFSO) Sanjay Bhatia said. “IFSO will be supporting the investigation with technical assistance inputs and other requirements,” he said.
The Special Police Unit for North Eastern Region (SPUNER) had formally written to IFSO seeking assistance in investigating the video, an official of the unit said.
Meanwhile, the Sadar Bazar police have also registered an FIR in the matter.
North District DCP Niharika Bhatt said the police took suo motu cognisance of the incident and registered a case under Sections 192 (provocation with intent to cause a riot), 196 (promoting enmity between groups), 352 (intentional insult intended to provoke breach of peace) and 353 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
“It came to our attention via social media that a man named Amir Shokeen, a resident of Sadar Bazar, was using racial slurs against a young man from Tripura. Amir is a ‘bad character’ in the Sadar Bazar area, with prior criminal record including charges like physical altercations, voluntarily causing hurt and molestation,” Ms. Bhatt said.
In a complaint dated October 21 addressed to the Joint Commissioner of Police, SPUNER, the Tripura Students Forum Delhi (TSFD) sought an urgent and impartial investigation into the video. The forum alleged that it showed a person from Tripura being subjected to sexual assault, harassment and humiliating treatment by a social media content creator.
The complaint identified Mr. Shokeen’s Instagram account as allegedly linked to the incident and sought verification of the identity and role of the person operating it, along with those who may have participated in or recorded the incident.
The forum also alleged that the video contained racially derogatory expressions directed at the individual and a demeaning reference to Tripura, causing anguish among members of the State’s community.
The complaint urged the police to preserve electronic evidence, including the original recording, metadata, account details and upload history, and take measures to prevent further harassment or intimidation of the person concerned.
Further investigation is under way, the police said.
Published - October 23, 2026 01:41 am IST