A day after YouTuber Gaurav Taneja was arrested for conducting his birthday party at a Noida metro station – which was organised by his wife Ritu Rathee, the couple said in a statement on Sunday, 10 July that the police booked him despite them having prior permission to use the metro coach where the party was held.
"A lot of unsavoury posts, photographs and memes are circulating on social media in relation to the incident that took place yesterday (Saturday) wherein Gaurav Taneja was briefly detained by the Noida Police. Hence, it was felt that we should set the record straight," the statement read, as per news agency ANI.
The couple claimed that they had obtained permission for conducting the party in a metro coach through proper channels.
Taneja, also known as 'Flying Beast' on social media, was granted bail hours after he was arrested. He had been held for allegedly violating Section 144 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), currently in force in Noida, and Section 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant).
This came after thousands of his fans gathered in the Sector 51 metro station in Noida on Saturday, 9 July to celebrate the YouTuber's birthday, after an invitation allegedly extended by his wife.
In their statement, the couple said that the Noida Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (NMRC) had widely publicised its scheme to book coaches to celebrate birthdays and other occasions.
'Fans Were Non-Violent, Didn't Damage Public Property': Taneja's Statement
On Saturday, Taneja's wife, who has more than 1.6 million followers on Instagram, had asked her fans to meet her at around 1:30 pm for the birthday celebration.
The couple's statement said, "The fans (gathered at the metro station) were neither violent nor did raise any objectionable slogans. They did not harm any public property. Their exemplary behaviour speaks for the example that Taneja and Rathi have been setting for their fans and followers in their videos."
Taneja has millions of subscribers across his YouTube channels, namely ‘Flying Beast’, ‘Fit Muscle TV’, and ‘Rasbhari Ke Papa’, in which he talks about fitness, uploads daily life vlogs, and conducts live streams.
(With inputs from ANI.)
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