Bhumi Pednekar has condemned rape and death threats targeting young female protesters from the Jantar Mantar demonstrations, highlighting the mental health impact of online bullying. Her statement, has led to a divided response on social media, with many calling it a ‘damage control’.’
Bollywood actress Bhumi Pednekar has recently broken her silence, condemning the barrage of rape and death threats directed at a young female protesters who participated in student demonstrations at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar. Her firm stance has, however, ignited a divided social media response.
This latest intervention by Pednekar comes after she faced significant criticism for earlier remarks where she called out some protesters for using abusive language targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Many social media users had then accused her of ‘selective outrage’, intensifying the debate around her public statements.
What Did Bhumi Say
In the video, Bhumi says, “I saw a video on the Internet, in which a young girl who was part of the protest was giving an interview, and she looked visibly broken and shaken. Her one video had went viral, and since then she has been receiving rape and death threats, even her mother faced the same. This is unacceptable. We cannot bully a young girl. We cannot put fear psychosis in a young child’s mind just because we don’t agree with their opinion.”
She added, “As women we anyway face a lot of harassment and as a public figure, I have gone through that experience and I cannot tell you how deep and lasting its impact is on someone’s mental health. We all just want the nation to progress and when we will demand right things, in the right way with unity, we will see right development. I just wanted to leave this thought.”
What The Internet Is Saying?
One comment read, “Nice damage control.” Another comment read, “Didi, just realised that she might her lose audience.” One more comment read, “This one should have been your 1st video. Now it feels like damage control.”
Her Earlier Video
In her earlier video, Bhumi had criticised protesters for using abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Bhumi had said in the clip, “Looking at the videos surfacing now, the kind of language being used, and the way the youth of our country are speaking — the youth of our country… this isn’t how we talk, man. We are talking about someone who holds the highest office in the land today. And it’s not just about the office; would we ever speak like this to the elders in our own homes? Can we really resort to using abusive language?”
She added, “Guys, this isn’t our culture; it’s wrong, and this really bothered me — that’s why I wanted to come forward and address this: a country will only progress and move forward when, collectively and unitedly, we discuss our flaws as well as the good things. Our culture and value system form our backbone; we shouldn’t stray from them, otherwise, we won’t be able to communicate the right things in the right way, and they will never be implemented or lead to change.”