The Tripura Police have reached Delhi to take custody of social media influencer Amir Shokeen, who was arrested by the Delhi Police in connection with an alleged racial harassment and humiliation incident involving a tribal youth from Tripura, officials said on Thursday.
Shokeen was arrested from the Karol Bagh area of the national capital after his location was traced through technical surveillance. Police officials said he had been changing his locations frequently and was eventually found hiding at a relative’s residence.
The Delhi Police registered an FIR at Sadar Bazar Police Station following a complaint by the Tripura Students Forum Delhi (TSFD). The case has been registered under Sections 192, 196, 352 and 353 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
A team of Tripura Police, which had already registered a separate case against Shokeen, reached Delhi and is expected to take his custody from the Delhi Police. Officials said that the accused would be produced before a court to obtain transit remand before being brought to Tripura for further investigation.
The action followed widespread outrage over a video allegedly circulated on social media in which Shokeen was accused of making racial remarks and offensive gestures towards a youth from Tripura during an interaction in Delhi. According to complaints filed by student and youth organisations, the youth was allegedly called derogatory names and the identity of Tripura was distorted in an offensive manner.
Union Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju strongly condemned the alleged incident and assured strict action against the accused. In a post on X, Rijiju said, “This evil man will be punished. There was delay in lodging the official complaint but Delhi Police and Tripura Police will teach a hard lesson.”
He also said that people who tolerate such behaviour in society are responsible for the spread of hatred.
Tripura Chief Minister Prof. Dr. Manik Saha had earlier directed the state Director General of Police G.S. Rao to coordinate with the Delhi Police over the matter. A senior police official in Agartala said that the victim had been identified and the police were in contact with him.
The incident triggered strong reactions from political parties and organisations in Tripura. Opposition CPI(M), Congress and ruling ally Tipra Motha Party (TMP) leaders condemned the alleged act and demanded strict legal action against Shokeen.
Youth and student organisations, including the Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), Tribal Youth Federation (TYF), Youth Tipra Federation (YTF) and TIPRA Indigenous Students' Federation (TISF), also filed complaints seeking action against the content creator.
According to the TISF complaint, the controversial video was allegedly uploaded on September 19 and showed Shokeen making racial comments against an indigenous youth from Tripura. The issue also drew attention from leaders including CPI(M) state secretary and Leader of Opposition Jitendra Chaudhury, TMP founder Pradyot Kishore Debbarma, and senior Congress MLA Birajit Sinha, who demanded exemplary action.
Meanwhile, Shokeen issued an apology after the video triggered widespread criticism. In a Facebook post, he claimed that the video was scripted and that the youth featured in it was known to him. He said the person had earlier worked at a friend's cafe in Ahmedabad and maintained that the interaction was meant to be humorous, with no intention to insult anyone.
Pradyot Kishore Debbarma demanded that Shokeen be brought to Tripura, saying an example should be set so that such incidents are not repeated. He also said he had spoken with the victim, who belongs to the Ananda Bazaar area of Kanchanpur in North Tripura, and offered assistance if he wished to return to the state.
The controversy has once again brought the issue of alleged racial discrimination faced by people from the Northeast into focus, with leaders and organisations demanding strong action against such incidents.