Two YouTubers and 17 of their young followers in Kerala were arrested on Monday for protesting against the motor vehicles department for seizing a vehicle owned by the vlogger siblings.

The motor vehicles department in Kannur had seized the Force Traveller van of YouTubers Ebin Varghese and Libin Varghese from their home in Kiliyanthara in the district on Sunday. The brothers then posted a video on their YouTube channel and Instagram page about the action and informed their supporters that they would be going to the motor vehicles department office at a particular time on Monday.

The YouTube roadie channel named E Bull Jet has 1.74 million subscribers.

The department listed a series of violations, including modifying the vehicle without permission, installing an ambulance siren, making unauthorised fittings such as a set of powerful overhead lights and LED light strips, and painting over the windows to block the view into the van.

The motor vehicles department’s action incensed the fans of the Varghese brothers. They vent their anger by flooding the department’s Facebook page with messages seeking “justice” for the vloggers. They also gathered outside the motor vehicles department in Kannur on Monday when the brothers went to meet officials.

Things went out of control when the siblings began filming their argument while inside the motor vehicles department office and allegedly protested and destroyed office property when officials objected.

Their supporters standing behind them also filmed the episode and shared videos on their social media handles.

When they continued to film the action, police were called in and 19 youths were arrested. Many of the fans created a ruckus and tried to prevent the police from taking them away.

The Varghese brothers were booked under IPC Sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 506 (criminal intimidation), 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from carrying out his duty) and 34 (common intent) and sections of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, Kerala Epidemic Diseases Act and the Kerala Epidemic Disease Coronavirus Disease Additional Regulations. A district court remanded them in 14 days’ judicial custody.

A Kannur court granted the brothers bail on Tuesday on two sureties of Rs 25,000 each. The court ordered them to deposit another Rs 3,500 each to compensate for the damage to property and appear before the police every Wednesday.

The 17 fans were booked for preventing police officers from carrying out their duty, calling for violence and violating Covid protocols. They were released on bail on Monday itself.

Kannur police commissioner R. Ilango told a media conference on Tuesday that a special team would be formed to investigate the offences found in the videos on the YouTube channel since one of them showed the Force Traveller using a siren.

“They had used a siren and even sported a ‘Press’ sticker…. We have asked YouTube to freeze the channel so that the videos can’t be deleted,” he said, adding that the states where the vehicle had travelled to and broken rules would also be told to take action.

Kerala transport minister Anthony Raju said action had been taken against the Varghese brothers to rectify the illegal modifications on the van. “We cannot turn a blind eye to such gross violations. That’s why we have instructed officials to take strict action against anyone found violating the law.”

Raju accused the siblings of “creating a drama to get more mileage” while they were at the police station and the motor vehicles department in Kannur.

The Varghese brothers’ lawyer, Mohammed Fouz, told The Telegraph his clients were assaulted in custody. “They have told the court about the police beating them badly.”

Popular YouTuber Sebin Cyriac, who shot to fame by accompanying Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to the sea on a fishing expedition in February, said the siblings could have behaved responsibly. “They could have behaved in a mature way by not creating a scene outside government offices,” Cyriac, who runs the Fishing Freaks channel, told this newspaper.

“Some diehard fans often react illogically without realising the gravity of the situation. The call for violence was totally unnecessary and dangerous,” he added.

With only YouTube guidelines to follow, Cyriac said vloggers must exercise caution and not fall on the wrong side of the law. “Once I had a video taken down because it had a toy pistol,” he said.

Firoz Chuttipara, who runs the Village Food Channel, was of the view that vloggers should do nothing to harm anyone. “We need to remember that many of our viewers are kids who could get influenced by what we do,” he said.