India
Says the freedom of expression is absolute and equal for all
Updated : Mar 01, 2017, 11:59 AM IST
India opener Gautam Gambhir is not one to shy down from bouncers. And now, in the midst of the Gurmehar Kaur controversy, Gambhir put out a tweet defending Kaur's stance.
In a video, Gambhir said that he has the highest regard and respect for the Indian Armed Forces, but in a democracy, everyone ha a right to an opinion. "Mocking someone who has lost her father to war is disgraceful," he added in the video.
The freedom of expression is absolute and equal for all!
— Gautam Gambhir (@GautamGambhir) March 1, 2017
High time we learnt that and practised it daily in every sphere of life. pic.twitter.com/iMfIanQyh1
Kaur, 20, had started the campaign 'I am not afraid of ABVP', following the violence at Ramjas College. The campaign went viral and received massive support from students of various universities. She posted her pictures on Facebook holding different placards including 'I am not afraid of ABVP' and 'Pakistan did not kill my father but war did'.
Gambhir's post was retweeted by former Delhi opener and commentator, Aakash Chopra, who said he agreed 100%
Agree 100% https://t.co/Fm66mXqzoU
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) March 1, 2017
Former Team India batsman Virender Sehwag, whose tweet trolling DU student Gurmehar Kaur triggered an outrage on social media, on Wednesday claimed his post was "plain fun" but was misconstrued.
While the literature student's classmates and peers started sharing the post, prompting students from various universities across the country to change their profile pictures with similar placards, Sehwag shared an image of his holding a placard saying, "I did not score two triple centuries. My bat did." After his post created a social media flurry, Sehwag clarified with a tweet that said:
My tweet was an attempt to be facetious rather than one to bully anyone over their opinion. Agreement or disagreement wasn't even a factor.
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) March 1, 2017
She has a right to express her views and anyone who threatens her with violence or rape is the lowest form of life.
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) March 1, 2017
Everyone has a right to express their views without being bullied or threatened. Gurmehar Kaur or the Phogat sisters.
— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) March 1, 2017
Meanwhile, Bollywood actor Randeep Hooda, who had joined Sehwag yesterday in the Twitter war with Kaur, wrote an open letter titled "Don't hang me over a laugh" after he was at the receiving end for allegedly bullying the literature student. Olympic medalist Yogeshwar Dutt and wrestler sisters Geeta and Babita Phogat also joined the bandwagon of celebrities who took to social media to question Kaur's views.
With PTI inputs