Swara Bhasker's tweeted Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse was blinded by hate
On Martyrs' Day, observed in memory of Mahatma Gandhi who was assassinated on January 30, 1948, actor Swara Bhasker posted a tweet about what patriotism meant to her, which immediately netted a flock of trolls.
Ms Bhasker is not new to duelling with social media users on matters that she considers are worth fighting for.
"Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated on 30th January 1948 by a man who believed in the hateful ideology of Hindutva... The assassin was a fanatic, blinded by hate... NOT a patriot. #NeverForget," tweeted the actor known for her performance in films like "Veere Di Wedding" and "Nil Battey Sannata".
Nathuram Godse was found guilty of murdering Mahatma Gandhi and was executed the following year.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his first Mann Ki Baat address of 2019 had asked people to pay a two-minute tribute on the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
The assassin remains a controversial figure in political debates. After Congress president Rahul Gandhi during a rally ahead of the national elections in March 2014 reportedly said it was the people of the BJP's ideological mentor, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, who had killed Mahatma Gandhi, a defamation case was filed against him in a Thane court by an RSS functionary, Rajesh Kunte.
Swara Bhasker's tweet today was also met with severe trolling. In September last year, Ms Bhasker had expressed disappointment on what she viewed as online users not reacting strongly enough to the harassment women face on Twitter and Facebook.
"I believe social media is a public sphere just like a bus stop. When you see a woman being harassed in public space, you would go ahead and try to stop it. Why don't we do it when the same thing happens in a virtual space?" she had said.