Uttarakhand YouTuber detained, made to issue public apology for distributing beer to gain followers

Haridwar: An Uttarakhand-based YouTuber was detained by police and made to issue a public apology after a video of him distributing beer in a restricted area made rounds on social media.

Ankur Chaudhry, a resident of Sidcul area here, was taken into custody, fined and made to apologise publicly for his conduct, police said.  Two days ago, a video circulated on social media in which Chaudhary was seen distributing beer for free in the Kankhal area to “increase subscribers” on his Instagram channel, they said.

Consumption of meat and alcohol is banned in the Kankhal area of Haridwar.

Watching the video captioned 'Beer Challenge' caused anger among residents of the holy town with the pilgrimage priests demanding strict action against the YouTuber.

Taking cognizance of the matter, police detained Chaudhary. He then apologised to the people for openly distributing beer for free in the area and said that such a mistake would not be repeated in future.  Chaudhary who holds a law degree was also fined under the Police Act.

Haridwar Senior Superintendent of Police Pramod Dobhal said Haridwar is a centre of religious faith and such acts will not be tolerated here under any circumstances.