Cricketer Yuvraj Singh was arrested in Haryana for allegedly making a casteist remark about his former teammate Yuzvendra Chahal last year, PTI reported on Sunday.
Singh was released on a bail bond a few hours after his arrest on Saturday, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Hansi) Vinod Shankar said.
Singh had made the comment during an Instagram live session with the Indian cricket team’s vice-captain Rohit Sharma in April 2020.
He had issued an apology after the comment triggered outrage. “I understand that while I was having a conversation with my friends, I was misunderstood, which was unwarranted,” Singh had tweeted. “If I have unintentionally hurt anybody’s sentiments or feelings, I would like to express regret for the same.”
In February this year, the Haryana Police filed a First Information Report against Singh under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and provisions of the Indian Penal Code.
The FIR was based on a complaint filed by lawyer Rajat Kalsan who alleged that Singh’s comment had hurt the sentiments of the Dalit community.
Singh approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, asking for the FIR filed against him to be quashed. Last week, the court had said that if he is arrested, Singh should be released on interim bail after submitting surety bond, The Indian Express reported.
The lawyer who filed the complaint against Singh said he would do his best to prove that the cricketer was guilty, NDTV reported. “Also, since the bail was given to him under the SC/ST Act, we are challenging it in the Supreme Court and hopefully you will see him behind bars,” Kalsan added.
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