NCPCR seeks action against Kunal Kamra for sharing 'doctored' child's video
The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) has written to the Delhi Police and Twitter, seeking action against comedian Kunal Kamra. He reportedly shared a "doctored" video of a boy singing a patriotic song for PM Narendra Modi in Berlin. The NCPCR requested Twitter to remove the video—described by Kamra as a meme—immediately. Following the controversy, Kamra deleted the clip on Thursday.
Why does this story matter?
Kamra has been in hot water in the past for using comedy to criticize the BJP and PM Narendra Modi. He recently shared an edited video from Modi's recent visit to Berlin, Germany, which went viral on social media and sparked a controversy. "PM got the kid in public domain, not me (sic)," Kamra responded to critics calling for his arrest on Twitter.
What was the issue with Kunal Kamra's meme?
In a letter to Twitter's grievance officer, the apex child rights body stated it received a complaint about Kamra tweeting an edited clip of the boy to propagate his personal political agendas. The video Kamra tweeted has been termed "doctored" because he replaced the boy's song, "Hey Janmabhoomi Bharat," with a song on inflation, "Mehngai dayain khaye jaat hai," from Peepli Live (2010).
Statement of NCPCR over the controversy
The NCPCR stated, "The Commission has taken cognizance of the complaint and is of the view that using minors for propagating political ideologies is a violation of the provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021." "Using children for such promotional purposes is harmful and detrimental to their mental well-being," it noted.
Child's father, Kamra argued over video on Twitter
Meanwhile, the child's father slammed Kamra on Twitter, calling him "kachra" (trash) and telling him to "keep the poor boy out of your filthy politics...work on your poor jokes." Kamra responded, "The joke is not on your son...you enjoy your son sing for his motherland to the most popular son, there are songs...[PM] should listen to from people in his country also (sic)."
'Comedy can't be done with kids': Child's father
"Whose permission did he take before morphing or modifying that video? Few people are saying that it's...comedy, but comedy can't be done with kids," the father told India Today. The NCPCR has requested a report from the Delhi Police within seven days on the matter.
