Manpreet Singh, a 20-year-old YouTuber from Punjab, who sparked controversy for his GTA gaming video in which he had ‘brutally killed PM Modi’, has issued an apology, alleged it was meant to be a joke, and people took it seriously. The video was uploaded on his YouTube Channel Happy Goldsmith.
In a three minute video, Manpreet Singh apologized for his earlier video and said he now understood it was a mistake to create such a video. In his statement issued in Punjabi, Singh said, “A clip from a 4-month video is being circulated on social media. Because of that video, my family and I are getting death threats. People are messaging and calling me on social media, abusing and threatening me. I know I committed a mistake.”
He further added that when the video became viral, he made it private and put up a story on Instagram apologizing for the same. “But after that, I am facing a lot of hate. People are connecting a character of a gaming video to real life. I would like to tell you that it was a gaming video. I understand it was a mistake,” he added. Singh claimed he started creating gaming video sometime back and still learning it. “It was my foolishness to create such a video, and I am suffering because of that. I am ready to face the punishment, but it was made for entertainment only. It was a joke. I was not aware people would take it seriously. It was an old video, and it is not right to connect it to the current scenario. I have removed the video.”
He claimed the netizens were exaggerating the content of the video, and his intentions were to make it humorous. “I apologize, and I am ready to face the consequences,” he said.
Earlier, he had posted a tweet apologizing for the same.
I am very sorry about my modi ji’s GTA gameplay that was a mistake mine and now I realised that what I have did was totally wrong and I apologise for my mistake from the depth of my heart, I was such a kid at that time when I made that video. #happygoldsmith
— HAPPY GOLDSMITH (@happy_goldsmith) January 8, 2022
Was it really a humorous video?
Singh, who has a fan following of close to 3,00,000 on his YouTube channel, often uploads streaming videos related to GTA5, Valorant and Farmer Simulator. Hailing from Bagha Purana, Punjab, Singh had uploaded the controversial video four months ago. He narrates the commentary in the Punjabi language.
In the now-deleted video, Singh informed his followers about what was going to happen. He said, “The Police that is providing security to Modi would work with us today. He thinks the Police would protect him, but he is wrong.” He then shows how his fellow protestors have blocked the road from which PM Modi’s car would leave and narrates how he was planning to block his way and ‘teach him a lesson.
When the character of PM Modi drove away in the car, he followed him and, after chasing the car down the road, made the vehicle go off-road. He then chained the vehicle to his tractor and pulled it back to the place where all the protestors were. Singh’s character then shot at the glass and said, “I am not going to shoot him as Police has asked us not to shoot him.” He used a hammer to break the glass and then changed the weapon to a baseball bat.
He said, “Let him come out. I will teach him a lesson with this,” and waved the bat in the air. PM Modi’s character came out of the car and started running. Singh’s character, who was wearing a Sikh turban, chased him down the road and hit him with the baseball bat multiple times. The PM’s character fell down on the road soaked in blood. One may wonder where was the humour in the video when he hit the PM’s character multiple times while saying, “He has troubled us a lot.”
Singh had laughed over the controversy
Earlier, in a now-deleted stream, Singh checked the social media posts and laughed at how his video was making rounds on social media.
Later he deleted this live stream ? pic.twitter.com/ViSARJiJfS
— The Intrepid?? (@Theintrepid_) January 9, 2022
He had claimed that he would not delete the video irrespective of the controversy. While using a cuss word, Singh had said, “It was a game” and added, “Bloody Modi Bhakts have come”.
It is notable that dozens of gaming videos are available on YouTube where a character depicting PM Modi is shown attacked and assassinated using various ways.