EDITOR’S NOTE: On 13 January, The Quint published a video titled ''How to Prove I’m Indian?’ Muslim Driver Breaks Down Over NRC Fear', in which a cab driver is seen speaking about his fears about a prospective nationwide NRC exercise.
The driver has since been subjected to severe trolling on social media. For instance, on 15 January, Bollywood director Vivek Agnihotri tweeted, "Ok friends, I am told that this man is also a part time junior actor in Bollywood. He was paid by @TheQuint to do this performance in a written script."
The Quint would like to state the following:
- The concerned driver has confirmed to us that he has never been an actor.
- The original video was recorded by musician Sumit Roy, who has confirmed to us that the interaction was not scripted.
- Roy uploaded this video, with the driver’s consent, on his Instagram account. That is where we saw the video. After due verification and permission, we published the video on The Quint.
- The concerned driver was not paid in any manner by The Quint.
- The driver had given permission to The Quint to use the video shot by Sumit Roy, as well as provided the accompanying details mentioned in our story.
However, following the trolling he faced online, the cab driver requested the The Quint to delete the video. Concerned for the safety of the driver and his family, we are complying and removing the video from all our platforms. We are also retracting his name.
“My heart starts pounding on just thinking about NRC. I don’t have land, neither do I have documents for land. What will I tell them to prove that I am an Indian?”Cab Driver