Delhi-based content creator Amir Shokeen was brought to Agartala from New Delhi on Tuesday, 10 November, by a special team of Tripura Police. He arrived at Maharaja Bir Bikram Airport under tight security and is to be produced before a court, according to a report by India Today NE.
The police team was led by DSP Samudra Debbarma, the report says. Shokeen was brought on transit remand, which allows police in one state to take a person arrested in another state to the place where the case is registered.
The case is registered at New Capital Complex Police Station in West Tripura. It has been filed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, the Information Technology Act and the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, according to the report.
The case stems from a viral video shared in September, which was allegedly recorded about a month earlier. The video purportedly shows Shokeen making derogatory racial remarks about an indigenous youth from Tripura, calling him "chinky", "China president" and "Michael Jackson".
How the case reached this stage
Delhi Police arrested Shokeen in Karol Bagh on 22 October, according to the report. Tis Hazari Court in Delhi remanded him to five days of police custody on 24 October.
Shokeen issued an apology after the video drew widespread criticism. The apology did not stop the case, and Tripura Police pursued his transfer so he could face the proceedings registered in Agartala.
TIPRA Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma welcomed the transfer, the report says. Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha confirmed that Shokeen had been brought to the state.
West Tripura Additional Superintendent of Police Dhruv Nath confirmed the details of the transfer, according to the report. The spelling of his first name is given as Dhruv in some reports and Dhruva in others.
What happens next
Shokeen is to be produced before a court in Agartala, where police are expected to seek his custody for questioning in the case registered at New Capital Complex Police Station. The court will decide on the custody plea after hearing both sides.
The allegations in the case have not yet been tested in court. The video at the centre of the case is described in reports as purportedly showing the remarks, and the legal process will determine the facts.
The case has drawn attention because it involves a content creator with a large online following and remarks aimed at a young person from a tribal community. Leaders in Tripura have treated the transfer as a sign that complaints of racial abuse will be pursued across state lines.
For now, the confirmed facts are the transfer itself, the sections under which the case is registered and the sequence of the arrest and remand in Delhi. Further details are expected when Shokeen is produced in court and police present their case.
