Kunal Kamra to sue YouTube after his video on "Castelessness" gets red-flagged
New Delhi: Comedian Kunal Kamra, alleging that YouTube is discriminating against his videos by putting up a warning message to viewers, has said that he will fight against the social media platform in court.
The 25th episode of his show ‘Shut Up Ya Kunal’ on Saturday, February 25, featured Harvard scholar Dr Suraj Yengde speaking about the caste system in India.
The video carried a message from YouTube, “Viewer discretion is advised: The following content may contain topics related to suicide or self-harm,” asking the viewer to confirm his/her decision to watch the video.
Dr Suraj Yengde on Sunday questioned YouTube on Twitter its message leading to the video, also asking Kunal Kamra, “something wrong?”
Host Kamra too asked YouTube on Sunday to explain the message, which he called “gatekeeping of the worse kind for content”.
In its reply to Kamra, YouTube stated that Kamra's appeal to remove the warning message, was rejected, and wrote, “We’ve looked at your content carefully, and have confirmed that age restrictions are still appropriate. We know it may be disappointing but it’s important that we keep the YouTube community protected.”
Kamra, on his Twitter handle, replied to YouTube on Sunday afternoon, “Hi @YouTubeIndia for your blatant discrimination we will have to settle this legally…”
The one-and-a-half-hour video on ‘Castelessness’, has Kamra interviewing Dr Yengde on a ‘casteless India’. The legal note with the video says it is an attempt to promote scientific temperament through satire and not meant to disrespect any religious, regional, or social groups.
The video shows the duo discussing related issues, under various chapters, including ‘Owners of the Caste Factory’, ‘Brahmanical Media’, ‘Beyond Hindu-Muslimization’, ‘Democracy Today’, ‘Dalit Panthers, ‘Global Allies’ and ‘Reservation Debate’.
The scholar, speaking on the multiple characters of the caste system in the Indian society, explains the different meanings that could be accorded to ‘castelessness’. It could, for one, be a beautiful and deeply spiritual experience if one could surpass ‘artificial masks’ through genuine introspection, but it could also an act of ‘sitting on a heap of privileges’, he adds.
The video also shows the scholar saying that the way women were treated in the archaic Indian social setup displayed a need to express one’s superiority, while slaves were treated as commodities that had to be subjugated.
He further says that the census calculation that began with the British era worried the upper castes as it showed the division in society.
Speaking on Buddhism, Dr Yengde said that Buddha challenged the hierarchies in the Hindu society. “There were attempts by Brahmins to kills Buddha, as he displayed a lot of compassion,” he adds.
Asked to comment on ‘Dalit Panthers’, a social organization that was launched in Maharashtra to combat caste discrimination, the scholar says that the group had highly literate members who were poets, writers and novelists, whose words ‘aroused a certain emotion in you’. He cites an example of a Dalit woman being denuded and punished in front of a crowd and the response of a member of ‘Dalit Panthers’ that ‘the punishment to the Dalit woman was paltry, but had grown in measure when compared to the respect shown to a lifeless national flag that could not save her honour.
Episode 25 of Shut Up Ya Kunal featuring the esteemed @surajyengde a dynamic young thought leader in the fight against casteism. Tune in perspectives. https://t.co/CE1ki8A8ra
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) February 25, 2023
what’s going on @YouTube ?
— suraj yengde (@surajyengde) February 26, 2023
something wrong ? @kunalkamra88 pic.twitter.com/nLvAkvWQZB
Hi @YouTubeIndia for your blatant discrimination we will have to settle this legally… pic.twitter.com/Pc2UxjFesq
— Kunal Kamra (@kunalkamra88) February 26, 2023
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Noida International Airport appoints Nitu Samra as interim CEO
New Delhi (PTI): Noida International Airport on Friday announced the appointment of its Chief Financial Officer Nitu Samra as the interim Chief Executive Officer after authorities denied permission for foreign national Christoph Schnellmann to be at the helm.
"This change follows directions issued by the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) that the Chief Executive Officer of an airport in India is required to be an Indian national," NIA said in a statement.
Samra will replace Schnellmann, a Swiss national who has led Noida International Airport (NIA) as the CEO since August 2020.
The regulatory issue related to the requirement of having an Indian national as CEO has been delaying the start of commercial operations of the airport, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 28.
Schnellmann will join the airport's Board of Directors as Executive Vice Chairman. In this role, he will continue to support the project and its transition to operations, the statement said.
With immediate effect, NIA said Samra has been appointed as the CEO on an interim basis until the Board of Directors can conclude a formal selection process.
Samra has been serving as the CFO since October 2021 and was closely involved in the airport’s development journey, overseeing financial stewardship, governance, and strategic planning during a key phase of the project, the statement added.
NIA will be operated by Yamuna International Airport Pvt Ltd (YIAPL), a subsidiary of Zurich Airport International AG, under a public-private partnership.
Originally scheduled to commence passenger services in September 2024, NIA is being developed in four phases, along with a dedicated cargo terminal. It received an aerodrome license from the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in March.
YIAPL Chairman Daniel Bircher said that since the inauguration of the airport by the Prime Minister, the goal was to enable the start of operations as early as possible.
"This management change brings the airport into compliance with Bureau of Civil Aviation Security requirements while maintaining continuity in the airport’s leadership team. The newly structured team will support a smooth transition into operations, guided by clear and transparent governance and a strong corporate culture," he said.
On March 28, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu said commercial flight operations from the airport would start in the next 45 to 60 days.
Among the largest greenfield airport projects in the country, NIA will initially have a capacity to handle 12 million passengers per annum.
Once fully developed, the airport will have a total passenger handling capacity of 70 million.
The first phase of NIA has been developed at an investment of around Rs 11,200 crore. 'DXN' is the code for the airport.
The airport features a 3,900-metre runway capable of handling wide-body aircraft, along with modern navigation systems, including Instrument Landing System (ILS) and advanced airfield lighting.
The peak handling capacity in the first phase will be 30 flights per hour.
In the first phase, there will be 28 aircraft stands, and the projected cargo capacity is around 2.5 lakh tonnes.
Terminal 1 of the airport is spread across 1,37,985 square metres with 48 check-in counters. Over 40 acres of land have been earmarked for developing MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) facilities at the airport.
