Tripura youth racial abuse: Delhi court sends Amir Shokeen to custody

A Delhi court on Saturday, October 24, sent content creator Amir Shokeen to five days' police custody in the case of alleged racial abuse of a 19-year-old from Tripura, whose video drew outrage across the country.

Additional Sessions Judge Shilpi Jain allowed the remand after Shokeen's one-day judicial custody ended, PTI reported.

Why police sought custody

Delhi Police told the court they need to take Shokeen to Ahmedabad to identify, and help arrest, others allegedly involved. Police said the video was shot in Ahmedabad about a month ago and the roles of seven to eight people are under investigation.

The case is being handled by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit, after a communication from the Special Police Unit for North Eastern Region (SPUNER). Police took suo motu cognisance of the viral clip and arrested Shokeen on Thursday.

The young man at the centre

The video showed Shokeen allegedly making derogatory and humiliating remarks about the youth, who works as housekeeping staff at a restaurant in Ahmedabad. He told PTI he earns ₹10,000 a month, supports a family of four, and did not realise he was being filmed. He studied at St Paul's School in Agartala until Class 9 before leaving to work.

He had said earlier that he forgave Shokeen after an unconditional apology and did not want him arrested, fearing trouble later. Police went ahead with the case.

Tripura leaders step in

Chief Minister Manik Saha asked the state's Director General of Police to coordinate with Delhi Police. The Tripura Students Forum Delhi had written to Delhi Police seeking an impartial probe and the preservation of electronic evidence, including the original recording and upload history.

TIPRA Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma, who had urged that Shokeen be brought to Tripura for a fair probe, met the youth, Lesonjit Reang from Kanchanpur in North Tripura, in Delhi. In a Facebook live, he said that whatever names people had called him, Reang remained a son of Tripura, and urged him to stand up for his rights. He said the arrest was appropriate and told Reang he was not alone.

Why it matters

The case has again drawn attention to racial abuse faced by people from the North East in other parts of India. Delhi Police's SPUNER unit was set up to handle complaints from North East residents in the capital.