Elvish Yadav summoned by women’s panel for ‘racist’ remarks against actor Chum Darang

Popular YouTuber and Bigg Boss OTT 2 winner Elvish Yadav has been summoned by the National Commission for Women over alleged racist remarks against actor Chum Darang, the women’s panel said.

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The YouTuber has been asked to appear before the NCW on February 17.

The NCW took cognizance after Elvish Yadav, in a podcast with Big Boss 18 contestant Rajat Dalal allegedly made racist comments against Darang and made fun of her.

In his purported comments on the podcast, he mocked her name and ethnicity, for which he received massive backlash. He also mocked her association with the film ‘Gangubai Kathiawadi’ and her role in the film.

His comments, which quickly went viral on social media, suggested that Chum was unattractive and mocked her name.

Chum, a Bigg Boss contestant, reacted strongly to the issue when she posted a note condemning Elvish’s comments.

In her Instagram story, Chum, without naming Elvish pointed out that he had crossed the line between humour and hate.

“Disrespecting someone’s identity and name is not ‘fun.’ Mocking someone’s achievements is not ‘banter.’ It’s time we draw the line between humor and hate. What’s even more disappointing is that this wasn’t just about my ethnicity my hard work and a film backed by a visionary like Sanjay Leela Bhansali were also disrespected,” the actor wrote.

This comes amid a raging debate about the regulation of online content and free speech. It all started after a clip of YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia cracking crass jokes on comic Samay Raina’s YouTube show, India’s Got Latent, went viral. The video has created a huge uproar on social media, with even politicians condemning his remarks.

The controversy surrounding “India’s Got Latent” is not new. The show has previously faced criticism for its dark humour, which many find insensitive and obscene.

In a related development, Allahbadia on Friday approached the Supreme Court seeking to club multiple FIRs lodged against him across India over his recent inappropriate comments during his guest appearance on India’s Got Latent.