Time Magazine names 'Free Speech leader' Gurmehar Kaur as next generation leader

Gurmehar Kaur, who rose to fame, after two videos of her - first a criticism of war and the second a criticism of the violence at Ramjas College in Delhi - has now been listed in the 2017 list of Time Next Generation Leaders.

She is placed in an impressive list with the likes of Star Wars actor John Boyega, YouTube sensation Lilly Singh, and South African Comedian Trevor Noah.

Kaur, a student of Delhi University’s Lady Shri Ram College, had taken on the ABVP on Facebook and Twitter. She posted a picture of herself holding up a placard that read, “I am a student from Delhi University. I am not afraid of ABVP. I am not alone. Every student of India is with me. #StudentsAgainstABVP.”

This video resulted in a number of people digging up a previous video of Kaur in which she criticised the concept of war. 

In the video, titled soldier of peace, Kaur, holding placards, said, "My mother made me understand that Pakistanis did not kill my dad. War killed him. Today I'm a soldier too, just like my dad. I fight for peace between India and Pakistan. Because if there was no war between us, my father would still be here today."

Following both posts, Kaur received death threats and rape threats from certain trolls on Twitter, and was even criticised by celebrities such as former cricketer Virender Sehwag and actor Randeep Hooda.