UK-based YouTuber detained at Mumbai airport in BJP defamation case

London-based doctor and YouTuber Sangram Patil was detained at Mumbai International Airport in connection with a defamation case filed by BJP functionary Nikhil Bhamre. The complaint alleges Patil posted objectionable content on Facebook that could incite hostility.

Mumbai: London-based doctor and popular YouTuber Sangram Patil was detained at Mumbai international airport on Saturday morning in connection with a defamation case filed by a BJP functionary, a police official said.

Crime branch officials questioned him for hours and allowed him to go after serving him a notice under section 35(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), he said.

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The section mandates that the police may issue a notice of appearance to an accused in certain cases where the prescribed jail term is short, instead of arresting them.

“Dr Patil was detained upon his arrival from London. He and his wife were questioned and subsequently released after preliminary investigation,” the official said.

The action is in connection with a case filed last month at the N M Joshi Marg police station on the complaint of BJP media cell functionary Nikhil Bhamre. Patil is originally from Maharashtra but is currently a British citizen.

The BJP functionary has alleged that Patil spread false information about the ruling party and made derogatory remarks against its leaders.

The complaint alleged that objectionable content was posted from two Facebook accounts, one of which belonged to Patil, the official said.

The complaint said that such content could incite hostility and animosity among different sections of society. Police said investigations into the matter have been ongoing since the registration of the case.