On 7th May, Bhupendra Jogi, an Instagram influencer and businessman from Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, was brutally attacked by unknown assailants while returning from his garment shop. Jogi rose to fame via viral social media reels. Reportedly, while returning from his shop, two masked assailants attacked him in the New Market area at around 9 PM. He tried to save himself but sustained severe injuries and ended up getting around 40 stitches.
Speaking to the media, a senior police official said that a case has been registered in the matter under Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) 307 at the Arera Hills Police Station. However, “so far there are no clues about the culprits. Jogi has not spoken about any rivalry or previous threats. We are scanning CCTV footage from the spot,” the police official said.
In a video uploaded on his Instagram account, Bhupendra Jogi said, “I had closed down my shop and was returning when two masked men attacked me with knives. They have not been arrested. I request everyone’s help in finding these people and helping me get justice.”
In an Instagram story, Jogi urged everyone to help him find the culprits. “I am BHUPENDRA JOGI, yesterday at 9:30 PM when I was returning home from my shop, some people attacked me with a knife at the Roshanpura intersection(100meter away from the police station) due to which I got 37 stitches on my body. After attacking they ran away easily and till now no one has been able to trace him. “PLEASE ALL OF YOU ARE REQUESTED TO HELP ME IN FINDING THESE PEOPLE AND HELP ME IN GETTING JUSTICE,” he wrote.
Jogi was reportedly supposed to go to Mumbai for auditions for an OTT platform. Had he managed to clear the auditions, he would have worked with Salman Khan. There is a possibility that he was supposed to audition for Bigg Boss OTT where Salman Khan is the host. Last year, YouTuber and influencer Elvish Yadav had won the season 2 of the show. However, it is unclear which show Jogi was supposed to audition for. His family members have alleged that the attack could have happened because of the auditions. It is unlikely he would be able to audition for the show.
Bhupendra Jogi’s meme and journey of becoming an influencer
Bhupendra Jogi is a businessman from Bhopal who runs a garment shop. Jogi rose to fame after his “naam kya hai” meme went viral in 2018. In a video, while speaking to an on-ground reporter of Lallantop, he had claimed “I have visited many cities in the US”. When the reporter asked “Tell me the name” (of cities he visited), Jogi replied by telling his name. In the video, he praised the roads in MP and said they were better than the roads in the US.
Jogi took the opportunity of becoming a meme material and became a social media influencer. At the moment, he has around 1,96,000 followers on Instagram. In 2023, he reshared the meme in his own style as the first two videos on his Instagram account.
Following rising to fame, he met several influencial people including political leaders like former CM of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan and Union Minister Smriti Irani.
Video on Dhruv Rathee and the backlash
Two weeks ago, on 20th April, Jogi uploaded a video on his Instagram profile mocking propagandist YouTuber Dhruv Rathee. In the video, Jogi was seen driving a motorcycle with two of his friends as pillion riders. The one sitting on the rear asked if they knew Dhruv Rathee to which Jogi and his friend said they did not know him. When the other friend tried to praise Dhruv Rathee, they dropped him from the bike and said, “Don’t know whom he was talking about. Who is that person anyway?”
The video received a severe backlash on Instagram and Jogi’s comments were patched with Rathee’s fans asking everyone to unfollow him. Some accused him of being a sellout to Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
Further investigation into the matter is underway.
