A local court in Arunachal Pradesh capital Itanagar on June 11 granted bail to Punjab-based YouTuber Paras Singh, who was arrested on May 27 for racial barbs against Congress MLA Ninong Ering and people of the northeastern State.
The court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate allowed Mr. Singh’s plea for bail on the execution of a personal bond for ₹10,000. The court also asked him not to leave the country and not interfere with the investigation process.
Public Prosecutor Rotom Vijay said the bail was granted to the YouTuber as the investigation was almost over and all necessary statements had been recorded by the State police during his time in judicial custody.
“He will have to come to Arunachal Pradesh whenever the court summons him for a hearing,” he said.
Mr. Singh, a social media influencer known as ‘Paras Official,’ in a video posted on his YouTube channel, had said Mr. Ering was Chinese.
He had lashed out at Mr. Ering after he wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking a ban on Battlegrounds Mobile India, a new avatar of the PUBG Mobile India.
Mr. Ering, also a former Lok Sabha member, argued that the game was aimed at deceiving the government and citizens and should be banned in the country.
During his judicial custody, the Arunachal Pradesh police tutored Mr. Singh on the geography, history, ethnicity and culture of the State’s major communities. He was also given a primer on the northeast.
The YouTuber’s attack on the Arunachal MLA led to a Twitter storm on June 4, with students, academics and professionals across the eight States of the region demanding a comprehensive chapter on the northeast in NCERT textbooks.
The Assembly Speakers of the northeastern States have also decided to meet top political leaders across the country for addressing racial attacks on and abuse of people from the northeast studying or working beyond the region.
