Wrestler Babita Phogat defends her tweet on Tablighi Jamaat

Wrestler-turned politician Babita Phogat on Friday (April 17) took to social media to defend her remarks against the religious congregation organised by Tablighi Jamaat at Delhi’s Nizamuddin area last month, marking the country’s biggest cluster of coronavirus cases.

The 30-year-old BJP leader told ANI that she stands by her tweet as she has not written anything wrong.

Recently, the champion wrestler had posted a series of tweets expressing that she was getting threats over her tweets on the Islamic sect.

“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,” she said.

National Award-winning actor Zaira Wasim, who had played the role of the Commonwealth Gold-medallist’s sister Geeta in her father Mahavir Singh Phogat’s biopic Dangal, had last year announced her exit from Bollywood following a social media debate.

Related news: Kangana’s sister Rangoli’s Twitter account suspended over hate tweet

In a recent post on Twitter, Babita Phogat linked the coronavirus pandemic to the Islamic sect with a controversial hashtag, after which #SuspendBabitaPhogat trended while her supporters, however, countered with #ISupportBabitaPhogat.

The wrestler, who joined the BJP last year, also supported Rangoli Chandel, actor Kangana Ranaut’s sister, whose account on the micro-blogging site was suspended after over an alleged hate post towards the Islamic sect.

Meanwhile, a man in Aurangabad in Maharashtra has filed a complaint claiming tweets by Babita Phogat and Rangoli Chandel intended to create disharmony among communities, the police said on Friday.

The man, associated with the Tablighi Jamaat, filed the complaint in City Chowk police station on Thursday, an official said, and added it would be forwarded through the Aurangabad commissioner to the police in the areas where the two reside.

“The complainant has cited tweets by Phogat on April 2 and April 15. He also alleged that Chandels tweet on April 15 was intended to target a specific community and spread hate. He has demanded registration of a case against Phogat and Chandel under section 153A of IPC and the Information Technology Act,” the official informed.