Man behind FIR against YouTuber fears for life

Bagish.JhaGurgaon: An animal welfare activist whose complaint last year led to a police case in Noida against YouTuber and reality TV star Elvish Yadav for allegedly supplying snake venom at parties told a Gurgaon court on Tuesday he feared for his life.The activist, who is associated with Maneka Gandhi’s NGO People for Animals (PFA), told the judge on Tuesday he was being threatened and could meet the same fate as Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala and INLD leader Nafe Singh Rathee, both of whom were gunned down, allegedly by hired shooters. The activist and his brother had tipped off Noida police about snake venom, allegedly being supplied by Elvish, to make opioids at rave parties.In Nov last year, five men were arrested with 20ml of venom and nine snakes — including five cobras — from outside a banquet hall in Noida Sector 51. The PFA members had alleged they called up Elvish, posing as organisers of a rave party, and asked for snake venom to be supplied to them. The FIR in this case named the YouTuber, who denied any links with the five men who were arrested. On Tuesday, the activist was in court for a hearing in a plea he had filed last Dec, alleging police inaction in Gurgaon against the YouTuber. He said he had been getting calls and messages threatening him with dire consequences on social media. The PFA member had in Oct last year gone to cops in the city with a video that purportedly showed Elvish with several snakes. Although a complaint was filed, the police did not take any action, he alleged.The activist tipped off Noida police next month. “I met the Gurgaon police commissioner and submitted a fresh complaint with the video as evidence. But no action was taken,” he said. “We have ample evidence that their network organises rave parties in Noida, Gurgaon and Chhatarpur. Snakes and their venom are used to make drugs at such events,” he told TOI.A few weeks after he filed the application in court, he claimed he started getting threat calls — some from international numbers. “Some people even chased my car in Ghaziabad in Dec. I was threatened not to file any more cases,” he said.But the PFA activist didn’t stop. Following a tip-off by him, police carried out a search at a farmhouse in Mohali on Jan 4 and rescued two dozen snakes.On Tuesday, civil judge (senior division) Manoj Kumar Rana listed the matter for hearing again on March 28. “As of now, cases are being heard in various cities — Noida, Gurgaon and Mohali. So, we are planning to file a petition before the Punjab and Haryana high court,” the People for Animals (PFA) member said.On May 29, 2022, Moosewala was shot dead inside his SUV in Punjab’s Mansa district. A day later, Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar, a close aide of jailed don Lawrence Bishnoi claimed responsibility for the murder through a social media post.On Feb 26 this year, Rathee, the state president of INLD and a former MLA, was gunned down in Jhajjar. A couple of days later, Kapil Sangwan, who is believed to be in the UK, claimed he had orchestrated the murder.
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