A case has been registered against YouTuber Elvish Yadav and singer Rahul Yadav, alias Fazilpuria, for allegedly using rare species of snakes in a music video.
The case was filed Saturday at Badshahpur Police Station in Gurugram following a court order on Thursday. The Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Manoj Kumar Rana had ordered the case to be registered under various sections, including the Cruelty to Animals Act and Section 294 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
"The case alleges illegal use of snakes and abusive language during the shooting of the song '32 Bore,'" Gurugram Police said in a statement.
The complaint was filed in November 2023 by Saurabh Gupta, a member of People for Animals (PFA). Gupta alleged that Yadav and Fazilpuria did not obtain permission from the Animal Welfare Board, the district administration, or the Forest Department to film the video. He also claimed to have received threats from wildlife smuggling gangs.
The music video for "32 Bore," released in January 2023, features scenes of Yadav and other dancers interacting with snakes.
This is not Yadav's first brush with the law. In March 2023, he was granted bail by a Gurugram court in connection with an assault case involving YouTuber Sagar Thakur, also known as Maxtern.