22 February,2025 08:25 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Rakhi Sawant
Actress Rakhi Sawant was summoned by the police in reaction to her appearance on one of the episodes of Samay Raina's controversial show India's Got Latent. Sawant related to the summons in a video she posted on her social media handle. In the candid video, Sawant questioned the need for her summons and requested the authorities to prioritise rape cases in the country.
In the clip, Rakhi Sawant wondered about the reason for her summons saying that she did not abuse anyone on the show. "Mujhe summon bhejne ka matlab nahi hai doston. Aap mereko video call kariye, main aapke sare sawalon ka jawab dene ke liye tayaar hoon. Main ek artist hoon, mujhe paise deke interview ke liye bulaya gaya tha. Maine interview diya, kisiko galiyan nahi di. Toh mereko summon bhejne ka matlab kya hai?" (What's the point of sending me summons? Just video call me, and I'll answer your questions. I was paid to attend an interview and didn't abuse anyone.)
Rakhi then stressed on the pending rape cases and victims awaiting justice in the country and asked authorities to prioritise that. "First, solve the pending rape cases. Main toh bhikaran hoon, mere paas ek rupaya bhi nahi hain ki aapko de saku. Main Dubai mein rehti hoon, mere paas kaam nahi hai. Har din ladkiyon ke saath balatkar ho raha hai, unke parivaron ke liye kuch karo. Unke gunahgaaron ko pehle saza do. Humne to koi gunaah nahi kiya, hum to white collar hain." (I'm like a beggar with no money to give. I live in Dubai and have no work. Every day women get raped - have some empathy for them and their families. Punish the criminals first. I haven't committed any crime; I'm a white-collar person.)
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Rakhi Sawant has been asked to appear before the Cyber Cell on February 24 to record her statements.
For the unversed, Rakhi Sawant appeared on Samay Raina's show 'India's Got Latent' in October last year. During the episode, she got into a heated argument with co-judge Maheep Singh, which escalated when she threw a chair on stage. The incident went viral after an audience member shared the footage on the internet. The exchange even led to the abrupt end of the episode.
Meanwhile, Ashish Chanchlani and Ranveer Allahbadia will appear before the Cyber Cell on February 24 to give their statements. The Supreme Court has further directed Ranveer Allahbadia to submit his passport to the investigating officer at the Nodal Cyber Police Station in Thane.
Yesterday, stand-up comedian Shashwat Maheshwari was also summoned to record his statement. The Maharashtra Cyber Department has already recorded statements from Raghu Ram and Devesh Dixit.
Refreshing your memory, Ranveer Allahbadia appeared on "India's Got Latent" and faced a lot of backlash after asking a female contestant an inappropriate and offensive question about her parents.
Following the incident, a formal complaint was lodged with the Mumbai Police Commissioner and the Maharashtra Women's Commission.
Ranveer Allahbadia issued an apology for his insensitive remark.
Moreover, comedian Samay Raina removed all episodes of 'India's Got Latent' from YouTube.
