Noida’s brash and outlandish influencer Elvish Yadav has done it again. This time, a case has been registered against the Bigg Boss OTT 2 winner, after a rave party raid on 2 November. The popular YouTuber allegedly peddled snake venom to such parties.
This comes two years after he roasted Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan Khan when he was arrested in association with drugs and a rave. In the video, Yadav repeatedly stresses on how ‘illegal’ acts should be punished. If not karma, irony definitely keeps a ledger.
For the uninitiated, snake venom is a type of psychedelic drug that is slowly becoming the rage in India. The most astonishing thing is neither Yadav’s involvement nor the snakes. It is the fact that Noida is hosting such parties.
The case came to light after an official from the People for Animals (PETA) filed a complaint alleging that Yadav and other content creators were shooting videos with snakes and snake venom at farmhouses in Noida. Yadav has uploaded a video holding an endangered species of snake, which was handed to him by a white woman.
Scot-free offender
Nine snakes, including five cobras, and snake venom were recovered during the raids. And the five people arrested in the case reportedly told Noida police that Yadav is known to organise such parties where white women, who are fetishised by Indian men, are invited as paid guests. He has not been arrested yet but the Noida police are on the look-out.
It’s a surprise that he’s active on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). Yadav has rubbished media reports, and released a video on Instagram claiming that he is not involved in the case. He also promised cooperation with Uttar Pradesh police, and vowed to take full responsibility for his actions if the allegations are proven.
Knowing Yadav, the latter is unlikely. He has almost never apologised for his offensive behaviour, choosing to always ‘clarify’ instead. He will probably reiterate his point, in a different vocabulary. He might also just use expletives to strengthen his case. Either way, his ‘systum’—the phrase he uses the most in his content—is to attack, not repent.
His clarification video already has hundreds of comments from his mostly male fanbase supporting him and calling the news fake.
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Rabble-rouser
The infamous influencer is not courting controversy for the first time, nor will it be his last. He has offended many with his viral persona. From slut shaming fellow Big Boss contestant Aashika Bhatia, to engaging in a misinformation war with YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, Yadav is a rabble-rouser. His main energy source is his fans, who both validate his actions and opinions and also imitate his actions. He is known to surprise everyone with bizarre ways to grab attention. Case in point, there were reports about him stealing flower pots meant for G20 summit beautification.
Haryana’s Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar is also a fan. The BJP leader was a part of his Gurgaon meet up post Yadav’s Bigg Boss win. It comes as no surprise then that Yadav does not really care about the kind of language he uses for his content, or who he attacks for having an opinion he doesn’t like.
Yadav will probably walk away scot-free, and flash even more snakes and pay several white women to be in his next video. He could even get offers for new shows, where he can lament how the law has been unfair to him. Either way, the only people who will miss out on the fun after this case are Noida residents. Exciting things rarely happen in the city and now even the promise of rave parties is being snatched away.