New Delhi: Days after he was accused of misappropriating the funds raised through his video to help the owner of Delhi eatery Baba Ka Dhaba, YouTuber Gaurav Wasan has said he will go to court against those trying to “defame” him.
Wasan’s video, which was posted on YouTube on 6 October with a call for financial assistance, had brought Baba Ka Dhaba into the limelight with help pouring in from all quarters for 80-year-old Kanta Prasad and his wife Badami Devi, who run the small eatery in the Malviya Nagar locality.
Prasad, however, filed a complaint with the police on 31 October, alleging that Wasan did not give him all the money that he had received from people seeking to help Baba Ka Dhaba.
Wasan has now decided to take legal action against a group of YouTubers, who he said “manipulated” Prasad into filing the police complaint.
“Some individuals have defamed my name without any proof. My reputation has been damaged by the false social media narrative. I will be taking legal action against them,” he told ThePrint.
The video blogger said his lawyer is in the final stages of drafting the defamation suit, which they plan to file in court “within a week”.
Wasan faced allegations of cheating after one Lakshya Chaudhary, another YouTuber, uploaded a video accusing him of not transferring all the money he had received as help for Prasad to the latter’s bank account. Two other bloggers also featured in the video.
“The police have accessed my bank details. Till now, I have not received any copy of the complaint. If they find any kind of forgery, they will go ahead with the case. But I am sure of my innocence,” Wasan told ThePrint.
The police said they are investigating the matter.
“We have already accessed the bank details of the accused. We are investigating,” said an officer at the Malviya Nagar police station, who did not wish to be named.
Also read: Baba ka Dhaba couple’s life has changed since viral video, but it’s not ‘bungalows & cash’
‘No grudges against Baba’
Since the allegations surfaced on social media, Wasan has been posting screenshots of his account details to show all the amounts received and the bank transfers done. He has claimed to have transferred over Rs 3 lakh to Prasad’s account.
Prasad has not contacted Wasan after filing the complaint. But he has given interviews to the media, saying he had never asked the YouTuber to help them or collect money on their behalf.
Wasan, however, said he has no complaint against Prasad, who he thinks has been “manipulated”.
“I have no grudges against Baba. He has been manipulated. I won’t file a case against him.”
One of the people who helped Prasad filed the police complaint, told ThePrint, “If Gaurav has not misappropriated the funds then why is he only showing the statements till 10th October? What happened between 10th October and 25th October?”
“We will talk to our lawyer if he files a defamation case against us,” he added.
Also read: After Baba Ka Dhaba, call for help for flute wala and pakoda seller floods social media