Mumbai
The novelist drew ire on the social media platform from many for being inconsiderate to crimes against women.
Updated : Nov 21, 2013, 01:44 PM IST
Twitter on Wednesday saw best-selling novelist Chetan Bhagat trending thanks to his tweet, "The rupee is asking, is there no punishment for my rapists?"
The writer deleted the tweet after being slammed by Twitter users for his insensitive comparisons between rape and the falling rupee in the midst of a gang-rape in Mumbai of a 22-year-old photojournalist just last week.
Though he deleted his comment, Bhagat tweeted some justification with this series of tweets later in the day,
People here flipping out on using word rape as metaphor. Murder is OK. Using F word is also OK. Oh wait, chance to attack someone. Why miss?
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) August 28, 2013
I deleted the harmless tweet because my haters were cutting it up and reposting it out of context with implied meanings.Forgot they lurk.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) August 28, 2013
But now as all of you hunt for that tweet realize that your economy is in a deep crisis. And do consider raising your voice about it.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) August 28, 2013
Really. I am trending now? Surely reforming me must be the most pressing issue. Economies crash everyday.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) August 28, 2013
The writer retweeted socialite Shobhaa De's tweet,
Dumb question:If the UPA government is forced to quit,does the Opposition possess a magic wand to fix the rupee-rape crisis overnight?
— Shobhaa De (@DeShobhaa) August 28, 2013
He went on to tweet,
Now what? Hahaha.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) August 28, 2013
The writer's tweets had Twitter which went into an overdrive after the Mumbai gang-rape slamming Chetan Bhagat. Here are some interesting reactions to the novelist's controversial tweet,
How long before Chetan Bhagat writes a letter pretending to be a rupee?
— The Brown Brumby (@brownbrumby) August 28, 2013
Joke abt the Rupee, never abt rape. This is sick MT @chetan_bhagat Rupee is asking, is there no punishment for my rapists?" #MumbaiGangRape
— smruti (@urjourno) August 28, 2013
Dear @chetan_bhagat,can u b prosecuted for 'intellectual rape' if an unsuspecting reader reads ur book?Anyway thanks for deleting that tweet
— The Brown Brumby (@brownbrumby) August 28, 2013
chetan bhagat is the Digvijay singh of Indian Literature #TheIdiotInMe
— Anurakti Sharma (@anuraktisharma) August 28, 2013
The novelist also found some supporters who tweeted in his defense,
Chetan Bhagat continues to pay the price for writing as an Indian Muslim. Targeting him for that tweet is juvenile and ridiculous.
— Sushmit Nath (@sushmitnath) August 28, 2013
Would there have been so much outrage had Chetan Bhagat tweeted of the murder of the rupee? Much ado about nothing!
— Saswati Sarkar (@sarkar_swati) August 28, 2013
Chetan Bhagat's comparison may have been accurate but the equation with rape just a week after a brutal gang-rape was perhaps the reason why the writer was slammed so excessively.