In order to get quick fame, delinquent teenagers are nowadays going overboard, making offensive and violent videos on the Chinese social media app, TikTok. In one such incident, four youths in Bazarkhala area of Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh allegedly burnt the Indian national flag and raised anti-national slogans to make a TikTok video go viral.
Police have arrested one of the accused, who is a minor, and are in the lookout for the other three, who fled when locals tried to intervene and catch them.
Arrested minor admitted of burning the India flag and raising anti-national slogans to make TikTok video go viral
An FIR, under stringent IPC sections 124 (A), 153 (A), 504, 505 (1) (B) (2), 352, 325, 506 and Rashtriya Gaurav Insult Prevention Act 2, has been registered in Bazarkhala police station, against the accused. During interrogation, the minor admitted of burning the India flag and raising anti-national slogans. He said that they were doing so to make the video go viral on the popular Chinese social media app.
Officer-in-charge Brijendra Singh said that on Sunday evening a man named Ravikant Singh, a resident of Rajajipuram, was cycling near Tikait Rai Talab in Bazarkhala, Lucknow when he saw four youths burning the national flag and raise anti-national slogans. When Ravikant Singh confronted the four youths, they attacked him. Seeing the commotion, another man named Rupesh Gupta intervened. Ravikant and Rupesh managed to catch the minor boy while the other three fled. A crowd also gathered there shortly and took the minor to Bazarkhala police station, where the police took him into custody and lodged a complaint against all the four youths based on Ravikant Singh’s complaint.
Media reports say arrested minor was a former local SP leader’s nephew, police denies the claim
Many media reports have quoted Bazarkhala officer-in-charge, Vijayendra Singh as saying that the arrested minor in the nephew of a former Samajwadi party leader. However, when OpIndia got in touch with the Bazarkhala police station, police denied the claim. Police confirmed that one minor youth has been arrested in connection to the case, while the search is on for the other three absconding persons.
According to reports, many people from a particular community gathered outside the Bazarkhala police station and demanded that the minor, who they claimed was the relative of a former Samajwadi Party leader, be released immediately. Seeing the crowd swell, the police called for additional force as they feared that the arrest might lead to communal tensions, however, police refused to give in to the demand of the crowd and sent the arrested minor to a juvenile home.
According to the News 18 report, Inspector Brijendra Singh said that police have received information about the three absconding accused and their search has been expedited.
Downgrading of Chinese app – TikTok
The Chinese social media app has been recently receiving severe backlash over its misuse by anti-social elements for inciting violence and crimes.
A social media user named Faizal Siddiqui had also shockingly recreated a disturbing scene of an acid attack, leaving social media users angry. A complaint was also registered against the ‘TikTok influencer’ for promoting acid attack as a means to avenge lost love by jilted lovers.
Last month, a Bench of Justice S.K. Panigrahi of the Odisha High Court had reportedly slammed TikTok for promoting disturbing content and pornography.
