Snehil Mehra on YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra's arrest: Regulations should be put in place

Mumbai, May 20 (IANS) Content creator and actress Snehil Mehra shared her views on the arrest of YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra after being accused of espionage.

During an exclusive interaction with IANS, Snehil demanded that if found guilty, Jyoti should be severely punished for betraying her country.

She told IANS, "When I learned about this, I found it to be really unbelievable- just like a plot of a Bollywood movie. But if the Indian Army has made such serious accusations against her, there must be some truth to it. And if these accusations turn out to be true after the investigation, then it is really shameful- the country in which you live, the people of which have made you a celebrity, if you work against that country, it will be considered treason. I believe she should be given a harsh punishment if proven guilty."

When asked if social media influences have been given too much freedom, she shared, " I belong to the film industry, and my years of experience say that we cannot shoot anywhere. If you wish to shoot a film, especially at a religious place like the Maha Kumbh or near a military base, then you need proper permissions. Similarly, I believe some regulations should be placed on the influencers, as the smartphones in our hands have turned everyone into an influencer."

"When the layer of permissions is imposed on these influencers, they will not be able to do such things. Just like censorship in the movies, there must be some rules and regulations in the world of social media.

She further stressed establishing accountability for such incidents.

Haryana YouTuber Jyoti Malhotra was recently arrested on charges of spying for Pakistan.

Jyoti, who owns the YouTube channel "Travel with JO" was taken into custody on May 16.

She will be questioned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), the Intelligence Bureau (IB), and military intelligence officials.

--IANS

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