The National Commission for Women (NCW) has issued summons to YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia—better known by his online alias BeerBiceps—and comedian Samay Raina following massive controversy over certain comments made on the podcast India’s got Latent. The NCW has asked both Ranveer and Samay to appear before it in New Delhi on February 17.
The NCW has said in a statement issued on February 11, “These comments, which have sparked widespread public outrage, violate the dignity and respect owed to every individual, particularly in a society that upholds equality and mutual respect.
The summons come after netizens were offended by Ranveer’s jokes on India’s Got Latent—a parody podcast similar to the popular TV show India’s Got Talent. In a now viral clip from a recent episode, Ranveer can be seen asking a contestant on the podcast about watching parents engage in sexual intercourse.
The NCW had written to Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw seeking regulatory measures to check obscene content available on various Over-the-Top (OTT) platforms and social media streaming sites. The letter came close to the National Human Rights Commission’s direction to the social media streaming platform YouTube to pull down “obscene and vulgar” content based on remarks of Allahbadia.
Earlier this year, another contestant on the show, Jessy Nabam from Arunachal Pradesh, drew criticism for making racist jokes about dog meat consumption in her state. An FIR was reportedly lodged against her at the time for “insulting indigenous and tribal people in Arunachal Pradesh.”
While Jessy is not named in the summons, the NCW has taken note of racist content on the show as well. “The NCW has expressed strong concern over the derogatory and racist comments reportedly made by YouTubers on the show India’s got Latent. The Commission has taken serious note of the vulgar and offensive remarks made by [the] content creators,” the NCW said in a statement.
Apart from Ranveer and Samay, the summons have also been sent to other influencer judges on the show: Apoorva Makhija, Jaspreet Singh, and Ashish Chanchlani. The show’s producers Tushar Poojari and Saurabh Bothra have been summoned by the NCW as well.
On February 10, Ranveer issued an apology for his comments on the show.
