Elvish Yadav, the winner of the reality show Bigg Boss OTT 2 and a popular vlogger with over 8 million subscribers, has been accused of a brutal assault on fellow YouTuber Sagar Thakur, known as Maxtern.
The attack, which was captured on video and quickly went viral across social media, shows Yadav and a group of men confronting Sagar Thakur at a garment store in Gurugram in the early hours of March 8.
In the footage, Yadav can be seen punching, kicking and even throwing Sagar Thakur to the ground, continuing to rain blows down on the defenseless creator as others cheered him on.
The brazen assault, which Gurugram police have described as “vicious and unprovoked,” has sparked outrage in the YouTube community and raised serious concerns about the potential consequences of escalating online feuds into real-world violence.
The Violent Clash and Its Aftermath
The incident began to unfold innocuously enough, with a seemingly minor social media spat between the two YouTubers earlier in the week.
Thakur, whose Maxtern channel boasts over 1.6 million subscribers, had voiced criticism of Yadav’s recent association with fellow Bigg Boss contestant Munawar Faruqui, who had previously faced legal troubles for alleged irreverent remarks.
Yadav, known for his Hindu nationalist leanings, fired back by challenging Thakur over his comments, and the online exchange quickly escalated into name-calling and personal attacks.
According to Thakur’s account, the two eventually agreed to meet in person to settle their differences, but what was supposed to be a civil discussion took an ugly turn.
“I arrived at the location in Gurugram around 12:30 AM, but Elvish showed up over an hour later with 8-10 of his friends or bodyguards,” Thakur recalled in a video statement after the attack. “As soon as they walked in, they started abusing me and beating me mercilessly. Elvish himself punched me in the face, cutting my lip, and they kept hitting me as I fell to the ground.”
The harrowing video evidence appears to corroborate Thakur’s claims, showing Yadav charging at him immediately upon entering the store.
“Elvish threatened that if I went to the police, he would have me killed. He kept yelling ‘You think I won’t hit you?’ over and over,” Thakur said, his voice trembling with a mix of fear and anger. “This was not a fight, it was a one-sided ruthless assault on me by a powerful person with resources and muscle.”
In the aftermath, Thakur mustered the courage to file a complaint against Yadav with local authorities.
Acting swiftly on the compelling video proof and the creator’s visible injuries, Gurugram police booked Yadav under sections 147 (rioting), 149 (unlawful assembly), 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
“This is among the most shocking cases of violence we’ve seen recently,” a police spokesperson said at a media briefing. “An argument over social media escalating to a horrifying physical attack involving deadly weapons is absolutely unacceptable in a civilized society.”
Elvish Yadav’s Response and Other Creator’s Reactions
While the legal process is still unfolding , the fallout from this incident is already sending shockwaves through the YouTube community and sparking heated debates around online conduct, conflict resolution and the ethics of using one’s public platform.
In a video statement released on Instagram, Yadav dismissed Thakur’s version as “fake news” and vowed to provide his own evidence once the official investigation begins.
“Not 1% of what is being reported is true,” Yadav proclaimed vehemently. “If the police find even 1% involvement from me, I will take full responsibility, but all these reports are baseless and fabricated.”
This combative denial, however, does little to negate the explosive video footage that has already flooded social media and fueled widespread condemnation of Yadav’s actions from fellow creators, fans and free speech advocates.
“What Elvish Yadav did was completely inexcusable, no matter what the provocation,” said popular vlogger Dhruv Rathee in a scathing video response. “As an influencer with millions of fans, he has a responsibility to lead by example and resolve conflicts through proper legal channels, not street violence.”
Rathee was far from alone in his criticism. Major brands that previously associated with Yadav have also rapidly distanced themselves, terminating sponsorship deals in the wake of the assault charges.
Leading creator collectives on YouTube issued statements decrying the incident and calling for platforms to take stronger action against users who promote harmful behavior.
At the same time, a wave of support has emerged from Thakur’s legion of followers, praising his bravery for speaking out against aggression from a much more prominent YouTuber with considerably more clout and resources.
Leading voices have rallied behind the #JusticeForMaxtern hashtag, highlighting the need to hold the rich and powerful accountable even on the internet’s grassroots spaces.
“Gaming the algorithm by posting increasingly incendiary content is a slippery slope as young creators chase digital stardom without properly understanding the real human impact of their words and actions,” said Amit Pal, director of the Digital Wellness Institute that studies social media behavior. “The Elvish Yadav case must serve as a wake-up call to this industry to get serious about curbing toxicity before it’s too late.”
“Nothing prepares you for being so brutally attacked – it just breaks you from the inside,” Thakur said in an emotional video, the visceral memory of the assault still etched on his face. “I want justice, but more than that, I want a world where we embrace our differences, not destroy each other over them.”
Several other creators from YouTube Community have expressed their concerns including Nikhil Gupta, Kiran Dutta, Samay Raina, Lakshay Chaudhaury and Chirag Barjatya.
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