Madras HC grants bail to YouTuber Manish Kashyap in Bihar migrants' fake videos case

The Madras High Court granted bail to Bihar-based YouTuber Manish Kashyap on Friday. Kashyap had been arrested in March for allegedly circulating misleading videos depicting attacks on migrant labourers from Bihar in Tamil Nadu. Notably, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court also dismissed charges under the National Security Act (NSA) that had been levied against him.

According to reports, the legal proceedings were initiated in March 2023 when the Economic Offences Unit (EOU) of Bihar Police apprehended Manish Kashyap, also known as Tripurari Kumar, along with two others. They faced accusations of disseminating fabricated videos portraying assaults on migrant workers from Bihar in Tamil Nadu. Multiple First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed against Kashyap in both Tamil Nadu and Bihar. To evade arrest, Kashyap voluntarily surrendered to the Bihar Police in March. However, on April 6, a specialized team from the Tamil Nadu Police arrested him in Bihar. Subsequently, he was brought to Tamil Nadu on transit remand following the registration of a case against him by the Madurai Crime Branch police.

The arrest stemmed from the uploading of a video in March, purportedly showing migrant labourers from Bihar facing harassment in Tamil Nadu. According to reports, in response, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar called for an inquiry. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin denied allegations of harassment against migrant workers in the state, reassuring Nitish Kumar that workers from Bihar were not being targeted.

At the time, Deputy General of Police (DGP) Tamil Nadu Shailendra Babu told India Today, “Somebody in Bihar has posted a false and misleading video regarding migrant workers from Bihar being attacked in Tamil Nadu. Two videos which are circulating on social media regarding the incident are false. The facts of the videos are twisted to appear that migrant workers living in Tamil Nadu are being attacked."