Rajat Dalal, the Instagram influencer, has a chequered past and has often been on the wrong side of the law. Here are some of the notable incidents that highlight his legal troubles.
Viral Kidnapping and Abuse
Rajat Dalal, a bodybuilder, fitness model and powerlifter, recently made headlines for all the wrong reasons. A video of him went viral, and he was arrested. According to sources, he kidnapped and tortured a student and physically and mentally abused him. The acts of torture included smearing cow dung on his face, forcing him to clean the toilet, slapping him and even urinating on his face.
This incident happened when the student posted a selfie with Dalal at the gym with the caption, “Every morning I see your face at the gym, and it spoils my entire day”. Infuriated by this, Dalal called the student to the gym, got his address and then kidnapped him. The whole incident took place in Green Gales Society in Jagatpur, where Dalal and his associates humiliated and abused the student.
The student’s selfie with Dalal, taken at the gym where Dalal used to train and record his fitness videos, set off the chain of events. The gym owners confirmed that Dalal used to provide fitness training and record his videos there. The student’s post went viral and caught Dalal’s attention, and he became furious. He called the student to the gym, got his address and then kidnapped him.
Dalal and his associates took the student to the Green Gales Society in Jagatpur. There, the student was subjected to severe mental and physical torture. The student was forced to squat and apologize again and again while Dalal and his associates slapped him, smeared cow dung on his face and beat him with slippers. They also asked him to call Dalal “Papa” while apologizing for the social media post.
A video of the assault went viral on social media, where Dalal and his associates slapped the student inside a car and asked him to call Dalal “Papa” and apologize for the post. The torture grew when they took the student to a cowshed in Chandkhed, smeared cow dung on his face, and beat him with slippers. The victim was then taken to an apartment, forced to clean the toilet and tortured further. Dalal even urinated on the student when he fainted from the beating. The victim’s mother filed a complaint, and Dalal was arrested but was released on bail soon after.
Dalal dropped the student near his house and warned his mother that he would eliminate her family, too, as he has much influence and connection. He said, “I would have killed him, but he is too small, so I am sparing him. I am a Jat from Haryana. I have big people here. The police can’t do anything to me; they are all in my pocket.” The mother lodged a complaint at the Sabarmati Police Station in Ahmedabad, after which the police registered a case and started an inquiry. During the process, Dalal and three of his accomplices were arrested. They were booked under charges of abduction and assault. But Dalal was released on bail soon.
Attacked Fake Sadhus
In the following horrifying incident, Rajat Dalal accosted three men dressed as ‘sadhus’ who allegedly entered his home in Delhi with criminal intentions. Dalal broadcasted the whole incident live on Instagram, during which he exposed the frauds, saying they couldn’t answer basic questions regarding their religion. He also proved that their Aadhaar cards were fabricated.
The episode started when three men dressed in ‘sadhu’ attire entered Dalal’s house. He became suspicious of their presence and began recording the incident on his mobile phone and broadcasting it live on Instagram. In the now-deleted post, he can see the three men sitting near his gate, and he asks them questions regarding essential religious texts, including Hanuman Chalisa and the Gayatri Mantra. When the men failed to reply correctly, Dalal told them they were not real ‘sadhus’.
Dalal’s suspicion turned into fury as he started abusing and threatening the three men with a hammer and made them slap each other. According to Dalal, later, He asked them to show their Aadhaar cards, which turned out to be fake. During the ordeal, Dalal kept broadcasting the incident live and caught much attention on social media.
In the following video, Dalal gave his version of the story while driving his car. He said that one of the men entered his house while the other two waited outside. But he also said that he had called all three men inside the home, who then trespassed. While absolving himself of wrongdoing, Dalal said he had invited all three men inside the house but accused them of trespassing. He said he acted as if they feared robbing him and asked his followers to beware of such frauds.
No official complaint was lodged against Dalal in this incident. However, he reported the case to the police. Dalal said that the police told him that the Aadhaar cards were indeed fake and asked him to stay alert. He released the video to make his followers aware of such frauds. He said the incident had nothing to do with religion but one’s safety. He posted the video on Instagram and tweeted, “Beware of such fake sadhus.”
War with another Gymshark Influencer
Earlier this year, Rajat Dalal was involved in a war of words with another gymshark influencer, Rajveer Singh Shisodia. What started as a social media war between the two almost ended in a physical fight. Haryana Police had to step in to cool off the tempers and warned both the influencers to not resort to violence.
Dalal and Shisodia’s rivalry took a turn when Dalal made public threats against Shisodia in a deleted viral video. The war started with both influencers posting aggressive comments against each other about the other’s workout routine and making personal attacks. Social media users and influencers’ followers soon joined the conflict and took sides, amplifying the hate.
When the conflict almost ended in a physical fight, Haryana Police had to intervene and prevent a full-blown battle. Dalal and Shisodia were supposed to meet in Bahadurgarh, Haryana, to sort things out, but Haryana police warned against it and took strict action; Rajveer said that Dalal has cop friends, and they are helping him.
Haryana Police had to issue a warning, which was pretty harsh on their social media handle. They said that they are strictly against anyone who encourages violence and hostility and will take the strictest action against such individuals. This warning did cool off the tempers.
New controversy with Elvish Yadav and Maxtern
Coming to Maxtern and Elvish Yadav news, YouTuber Maxtern and Big Boss OTT2 winner Elvish Yadav were in a brawl. Maxtern then lodged an FIR against Yadav. Gurugram Police then interrogated Yadav and arrested him. However, Rajat intervened and brought them to a resolution, asking them not to escalate the matter. This whole incident shows how influencers and YouTubers are now under the radar.
Rajat Dalal has a history of controversies and cases, from kidnapping to abuse and then to war with fake ones and other influencers. This shows how sinister these social media celebrities are. Rajat Dalal is still on his path of controversies and cases, but for now, he enjoys the law and order of the land.
What do you think about Rajat Dalal’s actions? Should he remain behind bars, or do you believe his actions were justified? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Horrific abuse! How is this the only person charged?
Bro the fact that he told the mother that everyone is in his pocket and he is a “ jat from Haryana” what is that suppose to mean ? And does he deserve brownie point for that ? Bro literally tortured a minor for no reason giving his PTSD and life long mental health issues and the most that happened to the dude was he got arrest but released on bail ? How is that real ? Bro deserves the same treatment, someone should beat him with a slipper.