Actor Randeep Hooda has been removed as the ambassador of the Convention for the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) — an environmental treaty of the United Nations, said its secretariat, in a statement. The move comes after an old video went viral where the actor was seen making a joke on the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, which several said was “casteist and sexist”. He was speaking at an event hosted by the media house, India Today, in 2012. The video has Randeep cracking a joke and then laughing along with the audience.
In a statement posted on its website, CMS said the organisation finds the comments in the video to be "offensive" and Randeep will no longer serve as the ambassador for them. "The CMS Secretariat finds the comments made in the video to be offensive, and they do not reflect the values of the CMS Secretariat or the United Nations," the statement read. "Mr. Hooda no longer serves as a CMS ambassador," it added. The actor was appointed as the CMS Ambassador for Migratory Species in February 2020 for three years. The video clip resurfaced on Twitter on Tuesday after a user posted it and has created an uproar on social media. Several people, including CPI-ML Politburo member Kavita Krishnan, called out the “casteist and sexist” nature of the joke. Many demanded an apology from Hooda, while #ArrestRandeepHooda trended on the microblogging site. Meanwhile, the actor is yet to issue a statement on the controversy.