Mumbai, Feb 21 Amid widespread controversy over podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia’s remarks on "India’s Got Talent," TV personality Rakhi Sawant has been summoned by the Maharashtra Cyber Police.
The actress-dancer is asked to appear on February 24 to record her statements. Last year in October, Sawant appeared on Samay Raina’s show "India's Got Latent," where she had a heated argument with co-judge Maheep Singh, which escalated when she threw a chair on stage. The incident took place in Delhi and quickly went viral after an audience member shared the footage online. Reports suggested that Rakhi repeatedly interrupted Maheep Singh with inappropriate jokes, escalating tensions between them throughout the show. This culminated in a heated exchange that led to the abrupt end of the episode.
Meanwhile, on February 24, popular YouTubers Ashish Chanchlani and Allahbadia appeared before the Cyber Cell to give their statements. Yesterday, stand-up comedian Shashwat Maheshwari was summoned to record his statements.
The Maharashtra Cyber Department has already recorded statements from three individuals linked to the ongoing investigation, including Raghu Ram and Devesh Dixit. As the investigation progresses, more individuals who appeared in the episodes are being summoned for questioning.
Following the controversy sparked by Ranveer Allahbadia's inappropriate comments on the show, comedian Samay Raina removed all episodes of "India’s Got Latent" from YouTube. In response, the Supreme Court directed Allahbadia to submit his passport to the investigating officer at the Nodal Cyber Police Station in Thane.
Additionally, the Supreme Court has prohibited Allahbadia and his associates from airing any shows on YouTube or other platforms until further notice.
For those unfamiliar, Allahbadia appeared on "India’s Got Latent" with fellow content creators, including Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, and Apoorva Mukhija. During one episode, Allahbadia faced significant backlash after asking a female contestant an inappropriate and offensive question, which quickly ignited outrage among viewers.
In light of the incident, a formal complaint was lodged with the Mumbai Police Commissioner and the Maharashtra Women’s Commission.
Allahbadia, who is known for his BeerBiceps brand, issued a public apology, admitting that his remark was "not appropriate" and "not even funny." In a video statement, he said, “My comment was not appropriate; it was not even funny; comedy is not my forte, I am just here to say sorry. Many of you asked if this is how I use my platform; obviously, this is not how I wish to use it.”
He added, “I am not going to give any context, any justification, or reasoning behind whatever happened. I am just offering an apology. I personally had a lapse in my judgment; it was not cool on my part. The podcast is watched by people of all ages, and I don’t want to be the kind of person that takes responsibility; family is the last thing that I would ever disrespect. I need to use this platform better; that's been my learning from this whole experience. I promise to get better; I have asked the makers to remove the insensitive segment from the video. I am sorry; I hope you can forgive me as a human being.”
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