The Dharavi Police in Mumbai on Tuesday (January 01) arrested Vikas Fhatak aka ‘Hindustani Bhau’ for his alleged role in instigating students of classes X and XII to protest against offline exams. Reportedly, he had shared a video on Instagram in which he asked students to assemble near the residence of Maharashtra Education Minister Varsha Gaikwad in Dharavi. 

Hindustani Bhau is a social media influencer who is known for recording abusive videos in which he mainly targets Pakistan and other YouTubers from the neighbouring countries and sharing them on his social media platform. This has not just gained him popularity but has landed him in several controversies. He became a household name after his stint on Salman Khan hosted reality show Bigg Boss 13. He was formerly a crime reporter for a Thane-based local newspaper.

Previously, his YouTube account got suspended due to the abusive content he had posted in the past, and last year Instagram too had suspended his account for promoting hate speech and violence.  A few days later his Facebook account was also suspended for spreading communal violence.

In June 2020,  he filed a complaint against Ekta Kapoor and her mother Shobha Kapoor. He had accused Kapoor of disrespecting Indian soldiers in an episode of her ALTBalaji web series XXX 2. Post filling the complaint he took his Instagram and asked Kapoor to return her Padma Shri award and also asked to issue a public apology.

Also read: Bigg Boss fame Vikas Fhatak aka ‘Hindustani Bhau’ arrested by Mumbai Police

In May 2021, Vikas Fhatak was arrested by the Mumbai Police for staging a protest at Shivaji Park, demanding exams be cancelled for students, in violation of Covid guidelines.  He was later released on May 8 and soon after his release, he posted a video on his Instagram handle.

Over the past few days, Vikas Fhatak has been posting videos on his social media handle claiming to be fighting for the rights of students.