Govinda deactivated his social media account on Wednesday evening after a post on the recent Gurugram violence incurred the fury of trolls. The popular actor had shared a post on Twitter (now X) - purportedly about Muslim shops being looted in the city - and sparked instant debate in the comment section. The post was quickly deleted as furious netizens lashed out and the actor eventually quit the microblogging platform - at least for the moment.
“What have we come down to? Shame on the people who call themselves Hindus and do such things. Aman aur shanti banaye, hum democracy hai, autocracy nahi!” the actor had tweeted in response to a video clip.
The video in question showed a violent mob looting coolers and other items from shops after setting them ablaze.
According to reports he had also ‘liked’ another post that linked the ruling BJP to the 'burning' situations in Manipur, Kashmir and Haryana.
While the actor is not active in politics at present he has previously served as a Congress MP from 2004 to 2009. He had been elected from Maharashtra's Mumbai North constituency after defeating BJP leader Ram Naik. The former lawmaker however faced heavy criticism for his frequent absenses from Parliament and for simultaneously continuing with his film career. In January 2008 Govinda had opted to leave politics, later expressing regret about the career change.
Clashes between two groups broke out in Nuh on Monday afternoon after a religious procession passing through the district came under attack, leaving two home guards dead and dozens of people — including around 20 policemen — injured in the frenzy of violence that followed. In total, six people have died since the initial an attempt to stop a Vishva Hindu Parishad procession sparked outrage. The violence had also spread to Gurugram over the past two days.
(With inputs from agencies)
