Chandigarh:

Former cricketer Yuvraj Singh was briefly arrested and then released on bail in Haryana on Saturday, the police said, as part of an investigation into a complaint that he had used a casteist slur in an Instagram live video against cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal.

The 39-year-old had earlier apologised for the “unintentional remarks” said he was “misunderstood” after his June 2020 Instagram live video with ex-teammate Rohit Sharma – that had his comments on leg spinner Yuzvendra Chahal – was widely shared on social media, triggering outrage. Yuvraj Singh and Rohit Sharma were seen discussing Mr Chahal’s TikTok videos.

“As per court orders, Yuvraj Singh was arrested and then released on interim bail on Saturday,” Nitika Gahlaut, a senior police officer in Haryana’s Hansi, told NDTV over the phone. However, Mr Singh’s representative Shazmeen Kara said the former cricketer had not been arrested.

Sources said Mr Singh had appeared before the police in Hisar with four to five staffers, including his security personnel, accompanying him from Chandigarh.

The move came following a complaint filed in February this year by a Dalit activist in Haryana, demanding his arrest and registration of a case under the Scheduled Castes and Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, which aims to prohibit discrimination. A First Information Report or FIR was filed in the case on orders of the court.

The activist, Rajat Kalsan, said, “On October 6, the police was asked to include Yuvraj Singh in the probe. We have learnt that yesterday, Yuvraj Singh surrendered before the police in Hisar, he was questioned for two to three hours and then arrested. He was then released on bail bonds.”

“The police will submit its final report in a few days in the SC/ST court in Hisar and Yuvraj Singh will have to take regular bail from there. He will have to attend the hearings at the court in Hisar. We will do our best to prove his guilt since he has insulted the whole community,” he said.

“Also, since the bail was given to him under the SC/ST Act, we are challenging it in the Supreme Court and hopefully you will see him behind bars,” Mr Kalsan added.

In a statement posted on his official Twitter handle last year, Mr Singh had expressed regret “if I have unintentionally hurt anybody’s sentiments or feelings”, adding that his “love for India and all its people is eternal”.

“I understand that while I was having a conversation with my friends, I was misunderstood, which was unwarranted. However, as a responsible Indian I want to say that if I have unintentionally hurt anybody’s sentiments or feelings, I would like to express regret for the same. My love for India and all its people is eternal,” the statement added.