New Delhi: A vlogger based in the north eastern state of Tripura, Bapan Nandi, was assaulted by local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders on April 22. According to NewsClick, one of the BJP leaders also filmed his assault and released it on social media where, predictably, it went viral.
The popular vlogger hails from Udaipur and works in the Khupilong area of Tripura. NewsClick reported that one of the BJP leaders also went to a local police station and filed a complaint against Nandi. Following this, the police even called the vlogger for interrogation.
This incident has led to many citizens of Tripura questioning the move of the government. Nandi had reportedly made a video on Eid and also produced a song. The video asked people not to get divided along communal lines and to celebrate the festival of Eid in harmony.
NewsClick reported that once the video appeared on social media, he was summoned by BJP leaders. A woman BJP leader then grabbed him by the collar and thrashed him. She reportedly asked Nandi why he demeaned his Hindu origins by acting like a Muslim youth in the Eid video. The video of his assault, too, is also viral now. In the video, Nandi could be seen begging for mercy while he is surrounded by other people.
EastMojo, quoting, Nandi, wrote: “The elected Deputy Chief of East Gokul Nagar Panchayat called me to visit his place for some work. We know each other so I went there to discover that around 30 to 40 youths were waiting for me.”
“The Panchayat leader slapped me, thrashed me in front of everyone there. I kept asking what my fault was and explained that the video was produced by another channel and the casting was done by him only but no one was there to hear anything,” he added.
Nandi also said that he was not the producer of the Eid video. He merely acted in it – as did other people – and was paid for the job. He said he did not know why a case had been lodged against him. Quoting police sources, EastMojo wrote that a case against the vlogger was lodged at the behest of the rabid and supremacist, Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
Two others who acted in the Eid video – Uma Debnath and Sneha Bhowmik – have also issued statements saying they did not think that acting in that video was problematic as it was part of their job. They, as other netizens, have also extended support to Nandi.
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