Birthday bash on Noida metro lands YouTuber Gaurav Taneja briefly in jail

Noida, July 10

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A YouTuber celebrating his birthday onboard the Noida Metro was arrested by the police here after people in large number turned up at the party causing a chaos amid prohibitory orders in Gautam Buddh Nagar, officials said on Sunday.

The YouTuber, whose friends had booked the metro coach under a scheme of the Noida Metro Rail Corporation that allows renting of coaches for private celebrations, was also granted bail within hours of his arrest on Saturday, the officials said.

Restrictions under CrPC Section 144 were imposed in Noida in Gautam Buddh Nagar district of UP in view of multiple festivals and other law and order considerations.

“YouTuber Gaurav Taneja was held under IPC sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by government officials) and 341 (wrongful restraint) after an FIR was lodged at the local Sector 49 police station,” a senior police official said.

“He was arrested around 2 pm, after a large number of people gathered outside the Noida Sector 51 metro station, leading to traffic snarls on the road in front of it. He was granted bail later in the evening,” the official said.

Taneja, a former pilot with Air Asia, sacked by the airline, has 7.58 million followers on his YouTube channel.

The invitation for Taneja’s birthday was shared in an open invitation to fans and followers on social media.

NMRC officials said the coach-for-hire scheme on the Aqua Line was aimed at non-fare box revenue for the government-run metro service.

For programmes, such as birthdays, or anniversary celebrations, a maximum 200 people are allowed per coach as the events are held inside a stationary coach at Sector 51 station, they said.