Tamil YouTuber posts video of him cutting umbilical cord; faces case

Chennai: Popular Tamil YouTuber Irfan was at the centre of a raging row on Tuesday with the Tamil Nadu Health Department lodging a police complaint against him for uploading a video of him entering the operating theatre of a private hospital and cutting the umbilical cord of his newborn.

Irfan is widely regarded as one of the best flood vloggers in Tamil with his YouTube channel boasting of about 46 lakh subscribers. He was in the news recently for revealing the gender of his newborn, which is a violation in India, by hosting a party and uploading the video on social media after conducting a prenatal test in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The video of Irfan cutting the umbilical cord of his newborn was posted over the weekend, garnering about 14 lakh views. After an uproar over the issue, Irfan has deleted the video from his YouTube channel, but the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services has issued a notice to him and the private hospital, seeking a detailed explanation on the issue.

The video shows the lady doctor asking Irfan if he wants to cut the umbilical cord and instructs her associates to give him a pair of gloves.

“Very good,” the doctor tells the YouTuber following which the baby is taken from the operation theatre to a room near-by room for further care. Later, the doctor tells Irfan’s family members that he cut the umbilical cord.

Health Minister Ma Subramanian said the Health Department has filed a case before the Chemancherry Police Station against Irfan and Dr Niveditha, who works with the private hospital.

“This is a condemnable act…and we have issued a notice to him (Irfan) and have filed a police complaint against the YouTuber and the doctor,” he told reporters in Madurai.

The minister said the video was in violation of Section 34 (1)&(2) of the National Medical Commission Act which clearly states anyone who is allowed to practice without being enrolled in the State or National register may be punished with a maximum jail term of one year, or with fine which may extend to five lakh rupees or with both.

He also said the Health Department has written a letter to the Tamil Nadu Medical Council to cancel the licence of Dr Niveditha, who allowed Irfan inside the operation theatre, to prevent her from practising. “Irfan cannot escape this time. It won’t be of any issue even if he apologises because we have filed a police complaint,” the minister added.

The video and its subsequent removal from YouTube have led to a debate on social media with several users criticising Irfan for posting such content without respecting the law. They also asked to hire a legal advisor and consult with the person before uploading videos online.