The Delhi Police has registered a case against YouTuber Ajeet Bharti over allegedly derogatory comments directed at Azad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad, The Indian Express reported.
Aazad, who represents Nagina in parliament, also heads the Bhim Army, a group focused on Dalit rights.
The alleged comments were made in a video discussing protests against caste-based reservations that took place at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar last week.
The Azad Samaj Party filed a police complaint on Sunday, accusing Bharti of posting material containing caste-based abuse and humiliating and sexually degrading remarks targeting Aazad and Dalit icon B.R. Ambedkar. The party also alleged that the statements had the potential to inflame tensions.
According to the complaint, Bharti repeatedly referred to Aazad’s caste in a derogatory manner.
Police have invoked provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, the Information Technology Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including sections dealing with promoting enmity between groups and criminal intimidation.
Bharti has said his comments were made after abusive posts were directed at his mother and sister on social media. He has denied using casteist slurs against Aazad and alleged that the case was registered following pressure from the Azad Samaj Party.
The case follows a protest on Aug. 21 at Jantar Mantar, where thousands gathered to demand that eligibility for quotas in government jobs and educational institutions be determined by economic conditions rather than caste.
Police detained and removed several protesters after the gathering took place at Jantar Mantar instead of Ramlila Maidan, where authorities had granted permission for the demonstration.
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