Tripura court extends police custody of Delhi influencer Amir Shokeen

A district court in West Tripura on Friday extended the police custody of Delhi-based social media influencer Amir Shokeen by three days, keeping him detained until November 15 as the investigation into alleged racial slurs against a tribal youth continues, The Shillong Times reported.

Court extends custody

The Additional District and Sessions Judge remanded Shokeen until November 15 and scheduled another appearance on November 16. Police had first produced him before the judge on November 10, seeking seven days of custody for questioning. The court initially limited the custody to November 12, but after a further appearance on Friday, it added three more days.

Background of the case

Shokeen was arrested by Delhi Police in the Karol Bagh area on October 22 and later produced before the Tis Hazari Court, which ordered five days of police custody. A Tripura police team led by a Deputy Superintendent of Police travelled to Delhi to bring him back, and he arrived in Agartala on November 10 under transit remand. The case, registered on October 22, is being investigated under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, the Information Technology Act 2000 and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act 1989. The investigation centres on a video that allegedly shows a tribal youth from Tripura subjected to racial slurs and harassment; the video came to the attention of the state DGP on October 21 and was said to have been recorded in Ahmedabad about one-and-a-half months earlier.

Police and political response

Tripura Director General of Police G.S. Rao said the FIR was filed after the video’s circulation and that the identity of the uploader had been established. Rao told media, "We will take action legally, whatever is required, against the people involved in this incident." He also said he had contacted the Special Commissioner of Police for the Special Police Unit for the North Eastern Region of Delhi Police and the concerned Deputy Commissioner of Police. Chief Minister Manik Saha directed DGP Rao to coordinate with Delhi Police. Union Parliamentary Affairs and Minority Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, along with leaders of the CPI-M, Congress and Tipra Motha Party, condemned the incident and demanded action. Two CPI-M-affiliated youth organisations and two youth and student organisations linked to the Tipra Motha Party lodged police complaints in Agartala against Shokeen.

Judicial proceedings

Following his arrival, the police produced Shokeen before the Additional District and Sessions Judge on November 10, requesting seven days of custody for further questioning. After the court’s initial remand to November 12, the judge extended the custody by three days on Friday, allowing investigators more time to interrogate the influencer. The extended detention keeps Shokeen in police custody until November 15, after which he is slated to appear before the court again on November 16 for further proceedings.