No sooner than Kangana Ranaut’s sister, Rangoli’s account was taken down by Twitter after complaints were filed over spreading communal hatred in her name; Babita Phogat seemed to attract similar limelight over social media for her controversial tweets.
The 30-year-old female wrestler is getting all the attention of netizens over social media and is getting mixed responses on the internet for her posts that subtly hint at bigotry and hate-mongering.
Let’s see what exactly happened.
How Did It Go So Bad?
The wrestler-cum-politician posted a tweet on 15th April from her Twitter handle that targeted the ‘Tableeghi Jamaat’ incident and accused it severely for the COVID-19 outbreak.
Soon, the tweet went viral over social media and several people got offended by her statement as it hinted open communal hatred and bigotry. Netizens slammed her for making such a remark and also demanded to get her account suspended from Twitter.
Ironically, Babita’s tweet came soon after Rangoli Chandel’s account was banned by Twitter after complaints were filed in her name for spreading hate and inciting communal violence.
Babita did not just post a controversial tweet but also came forward to support Rangoli and condemned Twitter for removing her account over “speaking the truth.”
यदि आप बबीता फोगाट को सपोर्ट करते हैं तो उन तक यह बात जरूर पहुंचा दीजिए और उनको बोलिए ध्यान से कान खोल कर सुन लें। pic.twitter.com/gqec3lQwPE
— Babita Phogat (@BabitaPhogat) April 17, 2020
This entire incident ignited a heated debate on social media and Babita faced a lot of flak over the internet for her uninformed behavior. It did not stop there; people called on Twitter to suspend Phogat’s account and a man in Maharashtra even registered an FIR against the wrestler.
Read Also: What Made Kangana Ranaut’s Sister Rangoli Chandel’s Twitter Account Get Suspended?
Babita’s Reaction
While this was ongoing, we come across another post coming from Babita’s handle that stated that the international wrestler has been receiving a lot of threats over texts and calls yet she is not afraid and is standing by her words.
Following the same, a video message is being circulated on Twitter where Babita addresses the audience and talks about the previously mentioned tweets and says she’s not afraid and won’t take her words back, no matter what.
However, she sparks another controversy on social media by mentioning Zaira Wasim, in her video message.
She says, “Over the past few days, I posted a few tweets (on Tablighi Jamaat). After that, I started getting threats on my social media handles. I would like to say that I am no Zaira Wasim. I would not get threatened… I have always fought for my country. I stand by my tweets… I wrote nothing wrong.”
आज रंगोली चंदेल दीदी ने किसकी पूँछ पर पैर रख दिया। आजकल ट्विटर भी सच्ची बात लिखने वालों से काफी खफा रहता है।#RangoliChandel
— Babita Phogat (@BabitaPhogat) April 16, 2020
It is to be noted that Zaira Wasim is an Indian actress who hails from Srinagar. She played the role of Geeta Phogat, Babita’s younger sister in the movie Dangal which was a biography of the Phogat sisters portraying their journey of becoming international wrestlers.
Reportedly, Zaira Wasim quit her acting career in June 2019 after winning a national award reasoning her faith and religion for quitting acting.
Babita quoting Zaira in her message and presenting her as someone who was a coward that she got afraid and linking her with the current situation came out of nowhere and has been falling back on Babita for various reasons.
What Does Social Media Say About This?
While the internet was already targeting Babita over her Jamaat remarks, she was again criticized for dragging Zaira Wasim in her message.
Soon,
it seemed like Twitter formed two groups- one supporting Babita Phogat and the other raging against her. Babita Phogat was setting the internet on fire and hashtags like #ISupportBabitaPhogat and #SuspendBabitaPhogat were trending for the day.
On one hand, many public figures came forward to empower Babita and show support while on the other hand, netizens and liberals were seen slamming her brutally over the same.
Well, all we can say is that the internet is a free space and anybody is allowed to express their opinion fearlessly. However, being a little responsible and reasonable with your words is always a good idea when it comes to social media.
Image Credits: Google Images
Sources: India Today, NDTV + more
Find the Blogger: @ZehraYameena
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