New Delhi: A day after a video capturing a physical altercation between YouTubers Elvish Yadav and Maxtern went viral, Elvish has provided clarification regarding the incident. Following the incident, an FIR was filed against Elvish. The footage showed Elvish assaulting Sagar Thakur, sparking a significant uproar on social media with demands for Elvish Yadav's arrest. Elvish, in his clarification, asserted that his actions were a result of months of provocation by Maxtern, also known as Sagar Thakur, who had allegedly threatened to harm Elvish's parents.
Elvish accuses Maxtern of orchestrating the confrontation
According to Elvish, the encounter occurred at a clothing store where Maxtern had orchestrated the confrontation. Elvish claimed Maxtern had planned the entire episode, with a concealed camera and microphone recording the incident. Addressing allegations of bringing a large group with him, Elvish clarified that his companions were not there to engage in violence but rather to restrain him.
“Maxtern had everything planned. There was a camera hidden and he also had the microphone on. If you see the video, you can hear the sound of thrashing. So he planned everything and knew how to use it. People are saying Maxtern was alone and I went with 10-12 people. But the truth is he had 4 people with him and the people with me were not there to beat up. But they were actually stopping me,” Elvish said in a video.
Elvish says Maxtern threatened his family
Elvish emphasised the persistent threats to his family. He said, "I want to ask everyone how will you react if someone threatens your family, your mother...After the fight, I reached out to him to solve it. I called him home but he did not come. The next day, he filed an FIR and then questioned why 307 (attempt to murder) was not imposed on me. The Left lobby which has always been against me because I speak about Hindutva is supporting the call.”
In response to Maxtern's complaint accusing Elvish of attempting to break his spine and issuing death threats, Elvish contested the severity of the allegations, asserting that a spine cannot be broken so easily.
While acknowledging his own tendency to become angry easily, Elvish expressed regret for the incident and apologised to those who felt his image was tarnished.
"I don't like to thrash people and get embroiled in FIRs, controversies. Maxtern is now saying that I am so influential that I got all bailable charges in the FIR. Had I been that influential, I could have stopped the FIR then. But Maxtern came to Gurugram and filed an FIR against me. I would like to apologise to all those who think my image got hurt but at that moment it felt right," Elvish said.
An FIR has been registered against Elvish Yadav and others under sections 147 (riots), 149 (unlawful assembly), 323 (causing hurt), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC.
Ashish Chanchlani reacts
Another YouTuber Ashish Chanchlani has reacted to the entire incident. Ashish took to X and wrote, "Jo haal chaal chal rahe youtube ke Ab toh ye field chodhne ka hi mann karta hai Yesterday was the darkest day for Youtube India This was unnecessary and could have been avoided."
Last month, the YouTuber was seen slapping a man at a Jaipur eatery. The video quickly gained popularity across several social media networks.
The reality TV star is also alleged to have been associated with the supply and use of snake venom at a Noida rave party in November last year. The Noida police filed a FIR against the social media influencer after they busted the rave party and found venomous snakes.