Sedition case filed against UP YouTuber, influencer alleges targeting for anti-RSS views

The Uttar Pradesh Police have registered a case against influencer Arpit Sharma, who creates content on politics and social issues, accusing him of threatening India’s sovereignty through a YouTube video referencing the Nepal GenZ revolt, while Sharma believes the action stems from his criticism of the BJP and RSS and says that right-wing handles have issued death threats to him and rape threats to his family.

The FIR, filed on 11 September by the Bulandshahar police, charges Sharma under several provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, including Section 152, which reintroduces the colonial-era sedition law, and alleges that his video, made against the backdrop of Nepal’s Gen Z revolt, was aimed at provoking unrest in India and undermining the country’s integrity, The Wire reported.

The police complaint claims that the content misused digital media in a manner that endangered national unity, and it states that the video has angered the masses, although Sharma has countered that the reel was a commentary on Indian youth not raising their voices on issues such as E20 fuel, corruption and hate speeches.

Sharma, a chartered accountant based in England who has been a target of online trolling for three consecutive days, has said that details of his workplace have been leaked and that his statements have been taken out of context, and he insists that his video never incited violence but reflected peaceful dissent.

He argues that the witch-hunt against him is motivated by his ideological stance, as he has consistently opposed the glorification of figures such as Godse and Savarkar, and he maintains that his past criticism has not been confined to the ruling party alone, since he has spoken against the Aam Aadmi Party during its tenure in power.

Despite defending his position on social media as one rooted in peace, unity and constitutional values, Sharma continues to face sustained online abuse, and he says that the threats directed at him and his family members show the extent to which dissenting voices are being silenced.

His case is part of a broader trend, since Uttar Pradesh has in recent years witnessed multiple instances of Section 152 being invoked against critics, including journalist Mohammad Zubair, folk singer Neha Singh Rathore, satirist Madri Kakoti and academic Ali Khan Mahmudabad, who were all booked for their opinions on contentious political or communal developments.