Stand-up comedian and YouTuber Samay Raina appeared before the officials of Maharashtra Cyber Cell in connection with India’s Got Latent case on Friday (March 28). He was not in India and he returned to the country only a few days back to record his statement after receiving multiple summons by officials.
In a video shared on X by ANI, Samay is seen getting out his car quietly and entering the cyber cell office. Samay looked towards the camera, however, he did not interact with media persons.
The comedian had also appeared before Maharashtra Cyber Cell officials on March 24. He was questioned for over six hours.
Earlier, the Maharashtra Cyber Cell had recorded the statements of YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia, Apoorva Mukhija and Ashish Chanchlani, who were also a part of the controversial episode of India’s Got Latent, which caused a nationwide stir.
Samay was in Canada for his LIVE shows ever since the India’s Got Latent controversy erupted in India. While the others named in the FIR recorded their statements, Samay had sought time till March 17 to appear before the authorities and record his statement.
What is the India’s Got Latent controversy?
It all began after Ranveer made an objectionable comment during his appearance as a special guest on Samay’s India’s Got Latent. He asked a contestant, “Would you rather watch your parents have sex for the rest of your life or join in once and stop it forever?”
He, along with the other panellists, Apoorva and Ashish, was condemned for the distasteful remark. Though the YouTuber quickly apologised, multiple FIRs were filed against him, along with Samay, Apoorva and Ashish.
As Samay sought time till March 17, the authorities rejected his plea to record his statement virtually. The Maharashtra Cyber Cell then issued him a second summons on March 19, but the comedian failed to comply. He was then issued a third summons, asking him to appear on March 24.
Samay postpones India tour
Meanwhile, Samay has cancelled all shows of his India Tour until further notice and informed his fans that their money would be refunded. Tickets for all his shows were sold out completely via advanced bookings.
Samay was scheduled to perform in Delhi on March 21 and 23 at Talkatora Stadium. His shows scheduled in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad and Surat were also cancelled following threats from Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
The comedian was also scheduled to perform in other cities like Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Kolkata from March to April.
In the meantime, Samay has deleted all episodes of India’s Got Latent from his YouTube channel.
“Everything that is happening has been too much for me to handle. I have removed all Indias Got Latent videos from my channel. My only objective was to make people laugh and have a good time. I will fully cooperate with all agencies to ensure their inquiries are concluded fairly. Thank you (sic),” he wrote in his statement on the controversy.
