'Jokes cannot justify vulgarity': Pradyot Manikya on alleged racial harassment of Tripura youth

Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Bikram Manikya Debbarma has demanded that Delhi-based content creator Amir Shokeen be brought to Tripura for investigation into the alleged racial harassment of a youth from the state, calling the incident an insult to the people of Tripura and their cultural identity.

Debbarma said he had filed a First Information Report (FIR) in connection with the incident and argued that action limited to questioning Shokeen at a police station in Delhi would not be sufficient. He said the matter should be investigated in Tripura and called for accountability to ensure such incidents are not repeated.

Speaking about the alleged harassment, Debbarma said Shokeen had used derogatory language against Tripura and made remarks about the youth's physical appearance, including referring to him as “Chinese” and “Chinki” and comparing him to Michael Jackson. Debbarma also alleged that the content creator had touched the youth during the encounter.

Debbarma criticised Shokeen's reported explanation that the remarks were intended as a joke and an expression of brotherhood, arguing that vulgar or racially insensitive remarks could not be justified as humour.

“The word that Amir Shokeen has used for our state Tripura, I cannot even say it,” Debbarma said, adding that the alleged remarks were an insult not only to the Tiprasa community but also to the people of Tripura as a whole and to the state's revered deity, Tripura Sundari.

He called for Shokeen to be brought to Tripura, saying the accused should be made aware of the state's history and cultural identity. Debbarma said accountability was necessary to deter similar incidents in the future.

The Tipra Motha founder also said he had spoken to the youth, who is from the Ananda Bazaar area of Kanchanpur in Tripura, and offered assistance if he wished to return to the state.

The incident has brought renewed attention to concerns over racial stereotyping and the treatment of people from the Northeast in other parts of the country. Further details of the police investigation and any official response from Shokeen were not provided in the information available.