Yuvraj Singh arrested for making casteist remark against Yuzvendra Chahal

Former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh was briefly arrested and then released on bail on Saturday, months after a case was registered against him for using a casteist slur against bowler Yuzvendra Chahal during a live video session on Instagram with Rohit Sharma in June 2020.

“We only made a formal arrest and he was released on bail in compliance of the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court,” Superintendent of Police (Hansi) Nitika Gahlaut was quoted as saying by a news agency. Yuvraj Singh was apparently interrogated for three hours before being released on interim bail. Over a year ago, Hansi-based lawyer and Dalit rights activist Rajat Kalsan had lodged a complaint with the Haryana police regarding the matter, stating that Yuvraj’s comment had hurt the sentiments of Dalits as millions of people had watched the video on social media. Urging SP Hansi to lodge an FIR against Yuvraj and arrest him, Kalsan added, “I had also submitted a DVD containing controversial remarks in support of my complaint. The investigators watched this DVD on Wednesday.”

Yuvraj Singh was arrested under Section 153A and Section 505 of the Indian Penal Code. Expressing regret over his remarks, the cricketer had earlier tweeted, “I understand that while I was having a conversation with my friends, I was misunderstood, which was unwarranted. However, as a responsible Indian I want to say that if I have unintentionally hurt anybody’s sentiments or feelings, I would like to express regret for the same.”