YouTuber-podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia was on Monday questioned by Maharashtra Cyber officials for around two hours amid a controversy over his crass remarks on comedian Samay Raina’s ‘India’s Got Latent’ show. He admitted his mistake in his statement before the investigating officer and said he went to the YouTube show as Mr Raina was his friend, according to sources.
The 31-year-old also claimed that he did not charge money for his appearance.
Mr Allahbadia, who appeared at the cyber headquarters in Navi Mumbai after skipping previous summons issued by the agency, told the officer that YouTubers maintain friendly ties and keep going to each other’s shows, sources claimed.
Mr Allahbadia, widely known by his online moniker “BeerBiceps”, sparked massive controversy with his remarks about parents and sex during an episode of ‘India’s Got Latent’, which also featured content creators like Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh and Apoorva Mukhija, who goes by the name “The Rebel Kid” on Instagram.
“Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once and stop it forever?” Mr Allahbadia had asked a contestant in the episode which was released earlier this month.
After the backlash, he offered an apology and said he “shouldn’t have said what he said”.
“My comment was not just inappropriate, it was not even funny. Comedy is not my forte. I’m sorry,” he said in a video statement.
Several cases were filed against him for the comment.
Last week, the Supreme Court granted Ranveer Allahbadia interim protection from arrest, but called his remarks “vulgar”. It also said he had a “dirty mind” that shamed society.
The court directed Allahbadia to cooperate with the ongoing investigations and deposit his passport with the Thane police to prevent him from leaving the country without permission.
More than 50 people connected to the show, including guests, judges, social media influencers, and comedians, have been summoned by the Maharashtra cyber cell.
Samay Raina, who has now removed all the episodes of the show from YouTube, has also been asked to appear before the cyber cell at the earliest.
