Mumbai police summon Ranveer Allahabadia, Samay Raina over offensive remarks
The Mumbai Police have summoned podcaster Ranveer Allahabadia and YouTuber Samay Raina for an inquiry regarding a controversial joke made by Allahabadia during the India’s Got Latent show hosted by Raina.
Allahabadia, widely recognized for his YouTube channel BeerBiceps, made the remarks while appearing as a guest on the show alongside fellow content creators Ashish Chanchlani, Jaspreet Singh, and Apoorva Makhija.
On Sunday, video clips of Allahabadia’s allegedly insensitive and vulgar jokes circulated widely on social media, igniting a nationwide controversy. He recently appeared in an episode of India's Got Latent hosted by Raina. A short clip from the show, which is now viral, shows Allahbadia asking a contestant, "Would you rather watch your parents have sex every day for the rest of your life or join in once and stop it forever."
The incident has fueled debates on the misuse of freedom of speech and the need for content regulation on OTT platforms. The show faced severe backlash from politicians, human and women’s rights organizations, celebrities, artists, and the general public.
In response, multiple complaints were filed against the artists, the show’s organizers, and the platform that aired the episode, which was filmed at a studio in Khar. Among the complainants were various social outfits, lawyers, and political parties.
The police initiated an inquiry following complaints from Mumbai-based lawyers Ashish Rai and Pankaj Mishra, who approached Mumbai Police as well as the national and Maharashtra women’s commissions. The complaint alleged that obscene remarks were made about parents, women, and their body parts.
Additionally, Nikhil Ruparel, a member of the Congress’s student wing, the National Students’ Union of India, filed a complaint with the Bandra magistrate court, demanding a criminal investigation against Allahabadia, Raina, and the show’s organizers.
While Mumbai Police have not yet registered an FIR and are still investigating the matter, Assam Police registered an FIR against Allahabadia, Raina, and others on Monday.
Priyanka Chaturvedi, Rajya Sabha MP from Shiv Sena (UBT), has said she would raise the issue in parliament. "Any abusive language in the name of comedy content crosses limits is not acceptable . You get a platform, that doesn't mean that you will utter anything. He is someone with millions of subscribers, every political has sat in his podcast. PM has given him an award… As a member of standing committee of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, I will raise this issue," she said on X.
In response to the controversy, Allahabadia, who has over one crore subscribers on YouTube, issued a public apology, stating, “My comment was not just inappropriate; it was not even funny. Comedy is not my forte. I am just here to say sorry.”
