Vlogger Anant Mittal, known online as On Road Indian, has been detained in China over his comments about Arunachal Pradesh. In his Instagram post, he shared a video describing the disturbing experience.
The incident took place on November 16. Chinese authorities held him for about 15 hours before releasing him. He emphasizes that he has no political ties or bad intentions. He wants to show the world only through his travels.
“I feel no hatred towards anyone. I just love everyone and share this world with you through my eyes. I am not connected to any political agenda,” he wrote on Instagram.
Read also | Viral ‘cheating’ bride says Instagram video was uploaded without her consent
Anant explained that he studied in the North East for three years. He feels deeply connected to the region. He became emotional when he heard about the Arunachal citizen being detained in China. He made a video of it that triggered the situation.
He confirmed that he was safely back in India and uploaded the whole story on YouTube. He added that the video was not made under duress and that he was just expressing his feelings.
“I’m sorry if I hurt anyone. I’m very small in front of these great powers. I’m still crying as I write this caption,” he wrote.
“I’m back in India safe now. I’m not making this video under any pressure. Just speaking from my heart to everyone. Namaste,” he wrote.
In the video, Mittal shared a detailed account of his terrifying experience in China. He said he was stopped by immigration the moment he entered the country.
A sticker was placed on his passport which set off an alert in their system. The policeman escorted him to the detention area where several other foreign nationals were being held. When no one spoke to him for two hours, he realized that the situation was serious.
Read also | An Indian shares a crystal clear view of Japan’s Mount Fuji from a distance of 200 km
Later, the Chinese officer took him to another room. They confiscated his phone and camera to prevent him from filming anything. He noticed that they forgot to check his iPad, which helped him shoot the video.
Hours passed without explanation. He had already asked for help many times in the early morning. He said he was thirsty, scared and unsure of what might happen next.
Vlogger once got water. He repeatedly asked for food, but nothing arrived. Twelve hours passed, then 13. When he realized his Arunachal Pradesh video, he cried.
In the video, he supported the Arunachal citizen detained in China. He realized that the video might have triggered the situation. The vlogger feared he would never return to India.
After 15 hours, the officer returned and calmly told him that his “trial” was complete and he had to leave the country. Anant felt shaken.
Read also | IMD issues warning of dense fog and cold waves in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab till December 16
According to him, he is just a simple travel vlogger who has friends in China from his startup days. He has no political ties, he added.
He hoped that both the Indian and Chinese embassies understood his fear. He blamed himself for posting that Arunachal video.
“Hum bahot chhote log hain. Humaari koi aukaat nahi (We are very small people. We have no value),” he added.
Reaction on social networks
Social networks reacted to the viral video. Many of them defended him for standing up for Arunachal Pradesh.
“You are not wrong to take a stand. They are wrong to be detained like this. Write to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) about this, at least to document it, ask the Chinese authorities to explain why exactly they detained you and treated you carelessly,” one of them wrote.
“Apne desh ka stand lane mein teri fatt gai (Why are you afraid to stand up for your country)?” asked another.
Another commented, hinting at the vlogger’s remorse: “I’m asking everyone to watch the whole video before closing anything.”
“Don’t back down… this is brutality and we never give up on brutality,” chimed in another.
“Why are you crying? If you don’t have courage, don’t travel and don’t comment. But if you do, stand and be humble,” wrote another.
