An Indian podcaster is under police investigation and has received death threats after asking a “perverted” question on the YouTube talent show “India’s Got Latent”.
Ranveer Allahbadia, whose own YouTube channel BeerBiceps has eight million followers, is no stranger to publicity but “the amount of attention” his comments have received “is mind-boggling”, said the BBC.
Debates about free speech
Allahbadia, a well-known online personality who has interviewed ministers, Bollywood celebrities, cricketers and Hollywood stars, found himself in hot water after he asked the “India’s Got Latent” 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?”
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The question “sparked massive outrage”, said the BBC. The story has made “national headlines”, with some leading news sites even devoting live blogs to the latest developments in the scandal. The reaction has “triggered debates around free speech and India’s obscenity laws”, as well as “conversations around the thirst for viral content” and what the consequences should be when online content creators cross a line.
Supporters of the embattled Allahbadia include Apar Gupta, founder of the Internet Freedom Foundation, who said “it feels like the state is trying to make an example” of him. Opposition lawmaker Saket Gokhale also posted on X that it would be wrong for the state to “persecute and lock up people for offending your moral sentiments”.
Charges of obscenity
In a bid to quell the storm, Allahbadia has apologised but he’s still facing legal charges of obscenity. At a hearing before India’s Supreme Court, Allahbadia petitioned for temporary protection from the multiple criminal cases opened against him by various state governments. Justices described his remarks as “dirty”, “vulgar” and “perverted”, and ordered him to co-operate with the investigation, submit his passport to the police, and seek permission before leaving the country. They also banned him from posting content on social media. On Monday, though, he was permitted to resume releasing episodes of his podcast, “subject to morality and decency”, said India Today.
The controversy has led a parliamentary panel to consider making laws around digital content stricter, and “the Supreme Court has pushed for tighter regulations around online content, too”, said the BBC. Critics have accused the federal government of exploiting events to justify restrictions on freedom of expression, as well as using it as a “smokescreen” to divert attention from more “pressing problems”, such as unemployment and pollution.
