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YouTuber Ali Aalyan Iqbal’s bike stunts in Ladakh’s fragile zones draw police action and netizens’ fury: ‘Larger the muscles, lower the IQ’

Iqbal was recently booked by Leh Police for riding his superbike recklessly near Pangong Lake and on the sand dunes of Nubra Valley.

Iqbal posted videos of shirtless stunts on superbikes near Pangong Lake.

A popular YouTuber, known for his high-octane content, is now facing backlash –– not for his stunts alone, but for where he chose to pull them off. Ali Aalyan Iqbal, who has nearly 500,000 Instagram followers, has landed in trouble for performing bike stunts in environmentally sensitive areas of Ladakh.

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A post shared by Ali Aalyan Iqbal (@aalyan_.01)

Iqbal was recently booked by the Leh Police for riding his superbike recklessly near Pangong Lake and on the sand dunes of Nubra Valley –– zones that are not just picturesque but ecologically fragile. The charges were filed under Sections 125 and 292 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) 2023, dealing with endangering human life and public nuisance.

Screenshot of Leh Police’s X post

In videos that he posted himself, Iqbal is seen shirtless, doing headstands on his superbike, revving through the dunes, and even getting stuck in the sand while kicking up plumes of dust, all of which quickly went viral. But the Internet’s reaction was anything but celebratory.

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A post shared by Ali Aalyan Iqbal (@aalyan_.01)

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The posts went viral and netizens reacted to it in the comments. “This clearly shows how this kind of people destroy the fragile environment of Ladakh,” one user commented. Another wrote, “The larger the muscles, the lower the I.Q.” A third viewer said, “Don’t spoil our environment, you are not welcome here in Ladakh for your showoff.”

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A fourth person commented, “Apart from the fine, these videos should not be allowed to be uploaded on any social media platform. Paying penalties does not make a difference to them.”

Authorities have made it clear that such behaviour won’t be tolerated in the region. Just weeks ago, a couple from Jaipur faced similar action after driving their SUV across the protected sand dunes of Hunder in Nubra Valley. They were fined and made to sign a bond of Rs 50,000.