YouTuber Gaurav Sharma was arrested recently over a YouTube video. In the video, Sharma can be seen attaching helium balloons to a dog to make it fly.
The video was shot on May 21st, and Sharma was arrested by Delhi police soon after on animal cruelty charges.
His arrest was brought about by the video – he was reported by the animal welfare organisation People for Animals (PFA). The video is mostly comprised of Sharma attaching the balloons, then footage of the dog floating upwards of its own accord.
What did the police have to say?
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Atul Thakur, released this statement upon his arrest:
“The complaint alleged that a person by the name of Gaurav Sharma had made a video where they were seen to have tied their pet dog with helium balloons and later they let loose the balloons, thereby making the dog fly in the air and hence, risking its life.”
How did Sharma react?
In classic YouTuber scandal style, Sharma made an apology video after his arrest. In it, he had this to say of the incident:
“Before making this video, I had taken all the safety measures. I had said this in the video but did not upload this part as it would’ve increased the length of the video. It was a mistake on my part. All I want to say is that I had made the video with all the safety measures.”
It’s possible that Sharma has missed the point of the public and procedural outrage. The safety wasn’t the issue – the cruelty to the dog was the cause of his arrest.
Since the arrest, Sharma’s YouTube channel – which initially had 4 million subscribers – has actually gained more subscribers.
For more YouTuber scandals, why not read about this different YouTuber, who faced jail time over a dangerous stunt video?
