On Thursday (June 24), Baba ka Dhaba owner Kanta Prasad accused ‘some Youtubers’ of pushing him to the brink of depression, reported The Indian Express. He made the allegations after being discharged from the Safdarjung hospital following an alleged suicide attempt.
In a statement made before the police, Prasad had claimed that several Youtubers called and coerced him to apologise to Youtuber Gaurav Wasan. He said that he fell into depression due to the alleged Youtubers. Although the police did not register a First Information Report (FIR), they initiated a probe into the role played by the unnamed Youtubers in abetting his suicide attempt.
Earlier, Karan Prasad, the son of the owner of Baba ka Dhaba, had claimed that his father fell unconscious after taking sleeping pills with alcohol. The family said that he was in depression due to the loss incurred to his business. While speaking about the matter, DCP (South District) Atul Kumar Thakur informed that Kanta Prasad’s condition is stable and that he has been discharged from the hospital.
Baba Ka Dhaba story so far: Fame, fund misappropriation, apology, reconciliation, and suicide
On 7th October 2020, a video was shot by YouTube channel Swad official’s Gaurav Wasan featuring Kanta Prasad and his wife. The duo was seen weeping over financial difficulties. The couple ran an eatery in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, and was facing a hard time due to lockdown. The video was shared widely by netizens and celebrities who urged everyone to help the couple. The small eatery was also extensively covered by mainstream media and donations poured in from all corners.
On 26th October, Youtuber Lakshay Choudhary came forward and alleged that Gaurav Wasan of Swad Official, who initially made the video of the elderly couple, has not yet paid them the donation money he collected on their behalf. Choudhary also alleged that several influencers gave their own account details instead of providing Kanta Prasad’s account details that led to a massive ‘scam’.
Wasan then posted a video presenting a cheque worth ₹2.33 lakh to Kanta Prasad. However, some netizens alleged that he had said in a video interview to another YouTuber that he had received over 20 lakh rupees for the cause. Netizens had demanded that Wasan should share images of his bank statement for at least a week from 7th October to show how much money he has collected. He later claimed to have transferred ₹3.78 lakhs to the eatery owner.
Kanta Prasad then filed a case, alleging that he has received a cheque of ₹2.33 lakhs from Wasan and has no idea about the remaining amount. The YouTuber accused the Baba ka Dhaba owner of defamation and said that he had given two cheques to Kanta Prasad, one of Rs 1 lakh and another one of Rs 2.33 lakhs. Besides, an amount of Rs 45,000 was transferred to Prasad via PayTM.
Following the controversy, Baba ka Dhaba owner started his own restaurant in Malviya Nagar, Delhi, where he served Indian and Chinese cuisines. However, he closed that venture and returned to his roadside stall as he was losing money in it. In a recent video, Prasad had tendered his apology to the Youtuber. On June 18, it was reported that Kanta Prasad allegedly attempted suicide and was found overdosed with sleeping tablets. He was then admitted to Safdarjung Hospital and has now been discharged.
