Agartala, Oct 21 (PTI): Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Wednesday asked the DGP to coordinate with the Delhi Police over alleged racial abuse of a youth from the state by a content creator in the national capital and said law will take its course.
A purported video showing content creator Amir Shokeen allegedly making derogatory remarks against the youth by calling him “chinky”, “China president” and “Michael Jackson” went viral on social media on Tuesday, triggering widespread anger across the Northeast.
PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video clip.
“CM Manik Saha has directed DGP Tripura to coordinate with Delhi Police over derogatory remarks made by a content creator against a young man from the state. Law will take its course of action,” the CMO said in a post on X.
Tipra Motha Party’s arm Youth Tipra Federation president Suraj Debbarma lodged a complaint at the New Capital Complex Police Station here on Wednesday, alleging that the Delhi-based content creator was involved in racial harassment, cyberbullying, and made hate speech and defamatory remarks targeting Tripura’s indigenous people. “Shokeen has allegedly made racially offensive remarks against the indigenous communities of Tripura and insulted the state’s historical name and identity. The allegations have reportedly sparked resentment in various quarters”, Debbarma claimed in the complaint.
He urged the police to take the matter seriously and initiate appropriate action in accordance with the law.
He also called for suitable measures against racial remarks, cyber harassment and attempts to demean the identity of any community on social media.
Political parties, such as the Tipra Motha, a key ally of the BJP-led coalition government in Tripura, the CPI(M) and the Congress, also condemned the alleged racial harassment of the youth from the northeastern state and sought legal action against the content creator.
“Amir Shokeen has made fun of our people and even the historic name of Tripura by calling it C#%tpura. If this is not an insult to us, then what is? I demand that proper action must be taken. YTF, TSF and TISF (youth wings of TMP) should immediately file a case, and a police team should be sent to arrest this person,” TMP supremo Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma wrote on Facebook.
Leader of the Opposition in the Tripura Legislative Assembly, Jitendra Chaudhury, also demanded immediate action by the Delhi Police against the content creator.
In a social media post, Chaudhury urged the police to take “immediate, strict, and exemplary action” against what he described as a “parasitic and racist influencer”.
“Arrest him. Prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law. Make an example so loud and so clear that no one ever dares to insult Tripura and the Tiprasa ever again,” Chaudhury said.
Taking to social media, senior Congress MLA Birajit Singha said, “Extremely disturbing to see this behaviour towards a youth from Tripura by a person named Amir Shokeen, who has stooped so low on social media platforms, normalising racial profiling and sexual harassment towards people from NE India.”
