Representative image. Barunghosh, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
Why it matters
People from the Northeast who live in other Indian cities have long complained about slurs and mockery of their looks. How police handle this complaint will show whether such videos, presented as jokes, are treated as an offence under criminal and IT law.
A police complaint was filed in Agartala on 21 October 2026 against Delhi-based content creator Amir Shokeen over an Instagram video in which, according to the complaint, he racially mocked a young man from Tripura. The same day, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha told the state police chief to work with Delhi Police on the matter. Amir Shokeen has apologised and says the video was scripted.
What the Amir Shokeen video shows, according to the complaint
The clip was recorded in Delhi and posted on 19 September 2026, according to the complaint filed by the Youth Tipra Federation, the youth wing of the Tipra Motha Party. It began drawing wide attention on social media on the evening of 20 October, the news agency United News of India (UNI) reported.
In the video, Amir Shokeen asks the young man his name, pretends to struggle to pronounce it and asks whether he is China’s president, The Indian Express reported. He also uses a slur aimed at people from the Northeast and remarks on the young man’s appearance. The complaint says he repeatedly called the youth “Chinese” and turned the state’s name into an obscene phrase. NewsPlainly is not naming the young man.
Complaint at Agartala police station and the CM’s order
The Youth Tipra Federation submitted its complaint to the officer in charge of the New Capital Complex (NCC) police station in Agartala. Signed by its president Suraj Debbarma, general secretary James Debbarma and other office-bearers, it asks police to register an FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, India’s main criminal code, and the Information Technology Act, 2000, and to coordinate with Delhi Police and cybercrime units, Northeast Today reported.
The organisation accuses the creator of racial harassment, cyberbullying, hate speech and defamatory remarks against Tripura’s indigenous people. The Tipra Motha Party is an ally of the BJP-led coalition that governs the state.
The Chief Minister’s office said on X that Saha had directed the Director General of Police (DGP) of Tripura to coordinate with Delhi Police, adding: “Law will take its course of action.” Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also posted on X that Delhi Police and Tripura Police would “teach him a hard lesson”, and said there had been a delay in filing the formal complaint. No report so far says that an FIR has been registered or that anyone has been questioned.
What Amir Shokeen said in his apology
Amir Shokeen posted an apology on Instagram in the early hours of 21 October. “I had no intention of saying anything bad about anyone. If anyone felt bad, I apologise from the bottom of my heart. I respect everyone,” he said, according to Northeast News.
In another clip, he said the video had been scripted, that he knew the young man, who had worked at a friend’s cafe, and that it had been made for fun, The Indian Express reported. Northeast News said the cafe is in Ahmedabad. He said he was sorry if he had hurt anyone. The young man has not spoken publicly, and none of the reports carries his account of how the video was made.
How Tripura’s political parties have responded
The reaction has crossed party lines in the state. Tipra Motha founder Pradyot Kishore Manikya Debbarma called for strict action and said racial insults against people from Tripura should not be brushed off as jokes or as a bid for attention online, Northeast News reported. Jitendra Chaudhury, Leader of the Opposition in the Tripura Assembly and state secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), also demanded that Amir Shokeen seek forgiveness, UNI reported.
Leaders from several parties rejected the apology and asked for an arrest, the Ukhrul Times reported. Social media users kept criticising Amir Shokeen after his apology, The Indian Express noted.
Many of those reacting online raised concerns about racial stereotyping of people from the Northeast and about ethnic insults being passed off as humour in online content, Northeast News reported. That concern was at the centre of the complaint, which says such content can create hostility towards people from the region living in metropolitan cities. NewsPlainly reported earlier this week on a separate government move against abusive content, an advisory telling news channels to mute abusive debates.
What happens next in the case
The next step is for police to decide whether to register an FIR on the Youth Tipra Federation’s complaint, and which force will take it forward, given that the video was shot in Delhi and the complaint was filed in Agartala. Tripura’s police chief has been told to coordinate with Delhi Police. Until a case is registered, the allegations remain those of the complainants, and the creator’s account remains that the video was scripted with someone he knew.
Further detail on the complaint is in Northeast Today’s report.
Frequently asked questions
Has an FIR been registered against Amir Shokeen?
Not as of 21 October 2026, according to available reports. A complaint seeking an FIR was filed in Agartala.
What did Amir Shokeen say?
He apologised on Instagram and said the video was scripted and that he knew the young man in it.
Who filed the complaint?
The Youth Tipra Federation, the youth wing of the Tipra Motha Party, led by its president Suraj Debbarma.