Vlogger Anant Mittal, known online as On Road Indian, was detained in China because of his comments about Arunachal Pradesh. In his Instagram post, he shared a video describing the disturbing experience.
The incident took place on 16 November. Chinese authorities held him for about 15 hours before releasing him. He stresses that he has no political links or evil intentions. He only wants to show the world through his travels.
“I have no hate for anyone. I just love everyone and share this world with you through my eyes. I'm not linked to any political agenda,” he wrote on Instagram.
Anant explained that he had studied in the Northeast for three years. He feels deeply connected to the region. He became emotional after hearing about an Arunachal citizen being detained in China. He made a video on it, which triggered the situation.
He confirmed that he was safely back in India and had uploaded the full story to YouTube. He added that the video was not made under pressure and that he was simply expressing his feelings.
“I'm sorry if I hurt anyone. I'm very small in front of these big powers. I am still crying while writing this caption,” he wrote.
“I am already back in India safely. I'm not uploading this video under any pressure. I'm just speaking from the heart to everyone. Namaste,” he wrote.
In the video, Mittal shared a detailed account of his frightening experience in China. He said he was stopped at immigration the moment he entered the country.
A sticker was placed on his passport, and this triggered an alert in their system. An officer escorted him to a detention area, where several other foreign nationals were held. When no one spoke to him for two hours, he realised the situation was serious.
Later, a Chinese officer took him into another room. They seized his phone and camera to prevent him from recording anything. He noticed they forgot to check his iPad, which helped him record the video.
Hours passed with no explanation. By early morning, he had already requested help many times. He said he was thirsty, scared and unsure of what might happen next.
The vlogger was given water once. He repeatedly asked for food, yet nothing arrived. Twelve hours passed, then 13. He cried as he realised his video on Arunachal Pradesh.
In the video, he supported an Arunachal citizen detained in China. He realised that the video might have triggered the situation. The vlogger feared he would never get back to India.
After 15 hours, an officer returned and calmly told him his “process” was complete and he must leave the country. Anant felt shaken.
According to him, he is only a simple travel vlogger who has friends in China from his startup days. He has no political links, he added.
He hoped both the Indian and Chinese embassies understood his fear. He blamed himself for posting that Arunachal video.
“Hum bahot chhote log hain. Humaari koi aukaat nahi (We are very small people. We have no value at all),” he added.
“You're not wrong for taking a stand. They're wrong for detaining you this way. write to Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) regarding this, at the very least to document this, seeking an explanation from Chinese authorities on why exactly they detained you & treated you with negligence,” wrote one of them.
“Apne desh ka stand lane mein teri fatt gai (Why are you scared of taking a stand for your country)?” asked another.
Another commented while hinting at the vlogger’s regret, “I request everyone to watch the full video before concluding anything.”
“Don't back off.. this is brutality, and we never give up against brutality,” came from another.
“Why are you crying? If you don’t have guts, then don’t travel and don’t make comments. But, if you do, then stand on it and be humble,” posted another.