'There are bigger issues that demand attention': Internet slams political response to Ranveer Allahbadia's comments

Ranveer Allahbadia is at the centre of a growing controversy following his remarks on Samay Raina's YouTube show India's Got Latent. What started as public outrage has now escalated, with political leaders calling for action against him and the Assam Chief Minister confirming that an FIR has been registered. However, the internet is now pushing back, with Reddit threads and social media discussions questioning whether filing an FIR over a joke is taking things too far.

On Monday, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on X that Guwahati Police has filed cases against five YouTubers, including Ranveer Allahbadia, for allegedly promoting obscenity.

Today @GuwahatiPol has registered an FIR against against certain Youtubers and social Influencers, namely
1. Shri Ashish Chanchlani
2. Shri Jaspreet Singh
3. Shri Apoorva Makhija
4. Shri Ranveer Allahbadia
5. Shri Samay Raina and others
for promoting obscenity and engaging in¡­

¡ª Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) February 10, 2025

He claimed they engaged in "sexually explicit and vulgar discussions" on Samay Raina's YouTube show India's Got Latent.

Reacting to the FIR, Stanford graduate and YouTuber Mohak Mangal criticised the move, arguing that legal action was unnecessary.

He wrote, "Wrong. Unless speech calls for violence or hate against others, there should be no legal prosecution. You can condemn it, censure it, or criticise it. But taking legal action is the wrong step. Unfortunately, in India, freedom of speech only applies to political leaders."

Wrong. Unless speech calls for violence or hate against others, there should be no legal prosecution.

You can condemn it, censure it, or criticise it. But taking legal action is the wrong step.

Unfortunately, in India, freedom of speech only applies to political leaders. https://t.co/B7OHBa8DDw

¡ª Mohak Mangal (@mohakmangal) February 10, 2025

On Reddit, many users supported Mangal's perspective, agreeing that while Allahbadia's remarks were vulgar, legal action was excessive.

One user remarked, "Criticize all you want¡­ he is highly overrated and should be condemned for his work. But legal action is too much. This political interference needs to stop."

Another pointed out, "This content was members-only, meaning people paid to watch it. If you have a problem, don't pay and don't watch. There's no reason for a case to exist."

A third user criticised the priorities of law enforcement, stating, "It's a pity that cops and police don't understand there are real serious issues in the country which require attention then spreading so much hatred over comments in a member only subscribed show."

Some also highlighted a perceived double standard in legal action.

One user questioned, "Elvish Yadav made an actual racist remark against a North Eastern BB contestant, yet no legal action was taken. But an FIR is being filed against Samay and Ranveer for lame and crass jokes? Wild."

This refers to Elvish Yadav's derogatory comments about actor Chum Darang from Arunachal Pradesh, a Bigg Boss 18 contestant, where he used terms like 'Covid' and 'ashleel.'

What do you think? Should an FIR have been filed against Ranveer Allahbadia for his comments?

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