New Delhi: Cricketer Harbhajan Singh Thursday raised his voice against the alleged police brutality during the protests against Citizenship (Amendment) Act, becoming one of the few top Indian sportspersons to speak up on the issue.
Harbhajan retweeted journalist Rajdeep Sardesai’s video of a student who lost one eye during Sunday’s violence at Jamia Millia Islamia, and said what is happening in Delhi needs to stop.
His crime is that he is a human.. it so sad to hear from him what he is gone thru..very sad for what’s happening in delhi this needs to stop https://t.co/M08JdRH8kc
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) December 19, 2019
Harbhajan also requested everyone — including the police and authorities — to refrain from violence.
All I am saying is maintain the peace..this should stop it’s not doing good for anyone.i am sure there is a other ways to solve this issue rather then being violent.. it’s a request to you all students and police and authorities ?
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) December 19, 2019
Not many cricketers have spoken out
Just a day before Harbhajan’s tweets, former India captain and BCCI president Sourav Ganguly’s 18-year-old daughter Sana had shared a post on Instagram Stories quoting Khushwant Singh’s novel The End of India to condemn the crackdown by the Narendra Modi government.
After a screenshot of the post went viral, Ganguly posted a tweet saying his daughter was “too young” to know anything about politics.
Please keep Sana out of all this issues .. this post is not true .. she is too young a girl to know about anything in politics
— Sourav Ganguly (@SGanguly99) December 18, 2019
Also read: My daughter too young to know politics, says Ganguly after her anti-CAA post on Instagram
Harbhajan’s former India teammate Irfan Pathan had faced backlash for coming out in support of Jamia students last Sunday, following which he wrote an article explaining the intent of his tweet.
Political blame game will go on forever but I and our country?? is concerned about the students of #JamiaMilia #JamiaProtest
— Irfan Pathan (@IrfanPathan) December 15, 2019
Cricketer-turned-commentator Akash Chopra had also spoken about the Jamia violence, calling it ‘deeply disturbing’.
Deeply disturbing visuals from educational institutions across the country. Teary eyed. They are one of us. These kids are the future of this country. We don’t make India great by silencing their voices with the use of force. You’ll only turn them against India.
— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) December 16, 2019
Sports personalities, along with their Bollywood counterparts, have faced flak for their silence on the CAA, the protests against it, and the violence against students at Jamia and Aligarh Muslim University. Cricketers like Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli and Jamia alumnus Virender Sehwag have been criticised for not speaking out.
A cricketer with a heart, a mind, and a conscience. It would be nice if his former opening partner, a Jamia alumnus, said something too. https://t.co/XQTGr3MzZ9
— Ramachandra Guha (@Ram_Guha) December 16, 2019
Any sports persons have an opinion? At least say you support the brutal action. Or say you don’t have an opinion. So we know. @sachin_rt @msdhoni @imVkohli have you been watching the news? Do you guys have something to say.
— Anubhav Sinha (@anubhavsinha) December 16, 2019