Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, March 19
A special team of Tamil Nadu Police reached here on Saturday evening and have started interrogation of the YouTuber, Manish Kashyap who was arrested from Mahnar Dumri village under Jagdishpur police station in West Champaran district earlier this morning.
Manish was avoiding arrest after his anticipatory bail petition was rejected by Patna High Court. He had been charged with fabricating news about alleged assault on Bihari workers in Tirupur and Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu. Economic Offences Unit of Bihar police had registered three cases against Manish and his three associates. Two of them were arrested two days back.
His news had led to formation of four members official team by the Chief Minister, Nitish Kumar. The team of senior IAS and IPS officers visited Tamil Nadu last week and found the reports about murder of two Bihari workers fake and assault on them by locals as fabricated. Following submission of the officials team, EOU had registered three cases against Manish and his associates.
Manish was brought to Patna from Bettiah and put in the EOU lock up, where officers of Tamil Nadu police led by a woman officer started questioning him about the circulation of 42 fake videos on alleged assault on Bihari workers in Tamil Nadu. Officers of Patna police and EOU also joined interrogation. The controversial video was made at Bangali Tola under Jakkanpur police station here last month, according to the FIR lodged by the police.
After EOU registered cases against Manish, he had escaped to his village in West Champaran.
Following court orders, Bettiah police on Saturday morning started attachment of his property in his village and at Jakkanpur residence here. Before he could surrender, a team of West Champaran police led by SP Upendra Nath Verma reached his village home and arrested. He was produced before the judicial magistrate at Bettiah. Large number of his supporters gathered at the court and started shouting slogans in his favour.
EOU had earlier found Rs 42 lakhs in his three bank accounts at three branches here and on court orders, these accounts were seized.
During investigation police had found 42 videos in circulation on sites of Manish Kashyap, Yuvraj Singh Rajput and Rakesh Ranjan. Two of them were earlier arrested and Manish was absconding.
According to police, Manish is a habitual offender and named in seven other criminal cases, including one related to assault on Tibetan traders at Lhasa market here last month. His companion Yuvraj was jailed in connection with firing at Narayanpur in Bhojpur district.
Bihar police had formed a ten members team to arrest Manish following Tamil Nadu fake videos.
His fake videos had led to hot debates in Bihar assembly for three consecutive days last week and sittings had to be adjourned following protests from the opposition. Director General of Tamil Nadu police had to issue clarifications on the controversial videos and repeatedly denied its contents.
