'Instead of tying stone pelter on the army jeep tie Arundhati Roy (sic)!' the actor-politician tweeted, taking a swipe at the author who has been a trenchant critic of the BJP and the Army action in the Valley. | PTI File Photo
NEW DELHI: Actor-turned BJP MP Paresh Rawal on Monday fuelled controversy after posting on social media that author Arundhati Roy should be tied to an Army jeep to be used as a ‘human shield’.
His comment came in reference to the incident in which an Army officer tied up a protester to his jeep as protection from stone pelters.
“Instead of tying a stone pelter to the army jeep, tie up Arundhati Roy!” tweeted Rawal on Sunday night. Roy has been an open critic of the Army’s role in Jammu and Kashmir.
In response to Rawal’s social media post, a supporter suggested that instead of Roy, a woman journalist should be treated in a similar manner.
That journalist could be Sagarika Ghose who quoted Rawal’s tweet and said “Wonderful sir, too good. You really are a model parliamentarian.” Sagarika has been a critic of the BJP government.
Rawal’s tweet got a huge response on the social media platform and was re-tweeted over 6,000. It also garnered over 12, 000 likes according to the last reports. Taking it a step further, singer Abhijeet tweeted saying Roy and others should be shot. “And shoot them,” the singer replied to Rawal’s tweet.
Distancing from Rawal’s tweet, Union minister Smriti Irani, while addressing the media, said, “Nowhere will we, in anyway, support any violent message by anybody, against any individual of the country.”
Criticising Rawal’s comment, actress Swara Bhaskar tweeted: “Wow!!!!!!! A Parliamentarian has the shamelessness to openly threaten a woman and call for a brutal act of violence on Twitter. Disgusting!”
Last month, a video footage surfaced in Kashmir which showed a local youth, Farooq Ahmad Dar, tied to the front portion of an Army jeep. The army said that it was done as protection from stone pelters.
