"A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes," says an old saying.
Well, not so much if you have Facebook and quick internet.
Celebrities who are often bullied on social media, mostly with false accusations and fake news can learn from Malayalam actor Neeraj Madhav. The young star on Tuesday fended off a wrong accusation against him on Facebook, winning the support of many users.
"The Family Man" star Neeraj on Tuesday shared a news report on his Facebook page about a Dalit teen getting shot for visiting a temple in Uttar Pradesh. "Can’t believe this is happening in our country in 2020! Such a shame. Cast discrimination is an outdated evil, it should not prevail anymore. #dalitlivesmatter #alllivesmatter," Neeraj wrote.
However, a user commented asking Neeraj how old was he when Madhu was killed. The man was referring to an incident from February 2018, in which a mentally unstable tribal youth called Madhu passed away after getting beaten up by the locals on the charge of stealing provisions from a shop in Kerala's Palakkad. 16 people who were allegedly involved in the lynching were arrested by the Agali police and were booked under various sections of the IPC as well as relevant sections of the SC/ST Act.
By bringing up the incident the man was accusing Neeraj of reacting selectively to incidents. If an atrocity in UP moved Neeraj, then why was he silent when a similar incident happened in Kerala, he meant.
However, Neeraj was back with a reply to the comment within an hour. He posted a screengrab of his post from 2018, condemning the lynching of the tribal and wrote: "Check the date on this post and do the math, you will figure out how old I was."
His reply has got over 400 reactions so far with many congratulating him for an "epic reply."
Neeraj had earlier wrote against communalising the killing of an elephant in Kerala, saying Keralites won't stay mum if anybody tries to reap benefits from it.