Another case against ‘Influencer’ Bobby Kataria, this time for drinking in public

PTI, Aug 12, 2022, 2:54 PM IST

Image credit: Twitter/@uttarakhandcops

Dehradun: A case has been registered against bodybuilder and Instagram influencer Bobby Kataria after a video showed him sitting on a chair in the middle of the Dehradun-Mussoorie road and consuming liquor.

The video uploaded on his Instagram account recently also had a song playing in the background that said “Roads Apne baap ki”. Kataria is already facing flak after an old video showed him smoking on a SpiceJet flight following which Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia on Thursday ordered an investigation.

As the liquor-consuming video went viral, there were sharp reactions from locals who accused him of destroying the culture of ‘Devbhoomi’. Uttarakhand is known as Devbhoomi. A case has been registered against Kataria under sections 290 (public nuisance), 510 (drinking in a public place), 336 (endangering human life or the personal safety of others), and 342 (wrongfully confining a person) of the Indian Penal Code and section 67 of the IT Act, police said.

“Uttarakhand Police has long been taking stern action against people drinking in public places and creating a nuisance. A case has been registered against Kataria under relevant sections of the IPC. Necessary action will be taken,” Uttarakhand DGP Ashok Kumar said in a tweet on Friday. Kataria — who has 6.3 lakh followers on Instagram — was earlier seen lighting a cigarette on one of the back rows of a SpiceJet plane.

Passengers are not allowed to take lighters on the plane. Passengers are also not allowed to smoke on planes. SpiceJet had said the smoking incident had taken place on its Dubai-Delhi flight on January 20 when passengers were boarding the plane and the cabin crew members were busy completing the on-boarding procedure.

After investigation, the airline had put the passenger on the “no flying list” for 15 days in February, it mentioned. According to regulations of aviation regulator DGCA, an airline has the power to ban an “unruly” passenger for a certain period of time if he or she violates any rules.

When the video of this incident was posted on Twitter on Thursday, Scindia responded: “Investigating it. There will be no tolerance towards such hazardous behaviour.”