The viral IIT Baba from the Maha Kumbh in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj has alleged that he was assaulted by "saffron-clad people" during a debate programme at a private news channel in Noida on Friday. 


The viral baba, alias Abhay Singh, filed a police complaint against the "dharma gurus" whom he alleged misbehaved with him in the newsroom and beat him with sticks. According to news agency PTI, Singh even sat outside the police outpost in Noida Sector 126, but later withdrew his protest when the police convinced him.


Sector 126 station house officer (SHO) Bhupendra Singh told PTI that Singh was convinced and chose not to pursue a formal complaint. However, in a live session posted on his social media account on Facebook, Singh said he had filed an FIR against the channel and that the UP Police had helped him a lot.


He also made other shocking revelations on his live session as he levelled further allegations on the news channel and slammed the media industry in general for projecting him negatively since Maha Kumbh.


Amid this, several videos of the incident are going viral on social media, showing the IIT Baba engaging in a heated argument at the news channel where a group of people dressed in saffron like sadhus enter the studio in the middle of Singh's interview.


As the "sadhus" began moving towards IIT Baba, an argument broke out, which quickly spiraled and took an ugly turn as Singh ended up throwing tea at an employee, while the latter tried to calm him down.


The saffron-clad group could be seen yelling at Singh, bashing him for the alleged cricket match prediction he had made, and even for calling himself a 'baba', whereas in reality he was a "drug-addict" and "Pakistani agent", they said.


When tensions surged, Singh attempted to leave the studio, but couldn't as the "door was locked". The news anchor could be heard saying, "Agar aap dhongi hain to bhaag jaeye (Run away if you are an imposter)."






A complaint letter he filed with the police regarding the assault has also gone viral on social media.


Here's What IIT Baba Claimed


IIT Baba hosted a live stream on Facebook where he informed his followers about the news channel incident. He asked them not to assemble anywhere, stressing that everything was fine and under control.


"There's nothing to worry about...We should not be afraid of the negativity of these people, we have to give them a proper answer to avoid negative karma...Whatever happened that day, we followed the protocol, did not take things in our hand, filed an FIR as per the law and stuck to our positivity. The UP Police helped a lot," he said.


"People are understanding my image is not like this and that some people are deliberately trying to tarnish my image. People project me as anti-national and drug addict, but they now know it is not like this. Slowly and gradually these people will understand everything...God is with us, everything will be fine and truth will win," he added.


He further said that he would host a session on his YouTube channel on crime and punishment, police system, media, the power of media, and how the system can be rectified. 


'It Was All Planned, They Even Tried To Take My Phone'


 Singh claimed that the news channel had planned everything in advance and even made a shocking allegation that he had been offered weed before the interview started. He also alleged "physical torture" and that the channel tried to take his phone.


"It was all pre-planned. I was offered weed before the programme started. They wanted to prove that I speak and do things in an intoxicated state...They extensively planned it behind the scenes...There is an organised sect behind this.    


A video had gone viral ahead of India and Pakistan's ICC Champions Trophy match wherein IIT Baba could be heard predicting that Pakistan would win the match. On the show, the saffron-clad men were seen shouting at Singh for this prediction, calling him "anti-national" and "Pakistani agent". One of them even asked him who was funding him to make such claims. Reacting to this, Singh denied making any such prediction and that the media had projected him doing so.


"The interview was going on well. We had agreed for a podcast interview, but they had called dharma gurus there. I told them that I don't give attention to negativity and that the set-up was not as per the deal. They then asked everyone to leave and did not go live...I went live on Instagram after that...They thought they could fool me...," he said.


He claimed that the news channel tried to take his phone so he does not check whether the interview was happening live or not. Singh also slammed the channel for not doing anything when he was being surrounded by the saffron-clad men.


"They were doing physical torture on me and the cameraman were standing and watching there...They locked the studio gate from inside and were not allowing me to leave...I did not even intervene in the questions they wanted to ask, but only asked them for a simple podcast format since they do not talk properly...When I sat outside in the corridor, the cameramen of the news channel did not try to stop the babas yelling on me, and instead continued to record it as they wanted drama...They wanted to build a narrative, which they have been doing since the Kumbh," he added.