Sikkimese rapper Ugen Namgyal Bhutia, popularly known as UNB, was allegedly attacked by a group of eight to ten men near Tiwari Gaon in Arunachal Pradesh’s Lower Dibang Valley district while returning after a performance at a festival in Anini, police said on Tuesday.
Uli said police accompanied the victim to the reported site on Tuesday and were gathering evidence and information from available sources. He underwent a medical examination and is currently stable. The vehicle was also damaged in the attack. The delay in reporting was attributed to poor mobile connectivity in the area. Police subsequently alerted check gates to look out for vehicles matching descriptions provided by the complainants.
Roing police station officer-in-charge Taniya Uli said police received information about the incident around 7.50pm. A first information report (FIR) under sections 126(2), 115(2) and 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 that deal with the offenses of wrongful restraint, voluntarily causing hurt, and basic criminal intimidation respectively has been registered at Roing police station and efforts are underway to identify those involved and ascertain the circumstances leading to the alleged attack. He later gained wider national attention as a contestant on MTV Hustle 2.0 in 2022. UNB, who founded the independent label KAUSO Records in 2017, has also used his music to highlight social issues and represent the Northeast in India’s hip-hop scene.
UNB suffered injuries to his head and face and swelling around an eye, police said. His performance of “Hum Bhi Kya Kam Hai,” which highlighted issues of identity and discrimination faced by people from the Northeast, drew attention from the judges and audiences.
The absence of witnesses and poor network connectivity in the secluded area have posed challenges to the investigation, said Uli.
