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Richa Chadha's tweet on Galwan irks netizens; actor issues apology
Richa Chadha is facing backlash for her tweet on Galwan

Richa Chadha's tweet on Galwan irks netizens; actor issues apology

Nov 24, 2022
01:08 pm

What's the story

Actor Richa Chadha put up a tweet reacting to Northern Army Commander Lt General Upendra Dwivedi's statement that the Army is ready to execute orders such as taking back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Her tweet read, "Galwan says hi," as she shared Dwivedi's statement. By making a reference to Galwan, she irked social media users who accused her of insulting the Indian Army. Here's what transpired.

Context

Why does this story matter?

At least 20 soldiers of the Indian Army were martyred in clashes with China's People's Liberation Army at the Galwan Valley in Eastern Ladakh in 2020. These clashes took place on June 15-16. China is yet to officially come out with the number of casualties at its end. India and China have been locked in a standoff in Eastern Ladakh ever since.

Statement

Here's what Lt General Dwivedi had said

On Tuesday, Lt General Dwivedi's statement that the Indian Army is ready to take back PoK if orders are given, came in light of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's earlier statement that India's goal is to reclaim PoK. While talking about development works in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, Singh said that India will achieve its "goal when we reach Gilgit and Baltistan."

Public apology

'I apologize...' said Chadha on the controversy later

Soon after Chadha was slammed for a distasteful tweet on Galwan, she deleted her previous tweet and put up a public apology. In a fresh tweet, Chadha said, "if the 3 words which are being dragged into a controversy have offended or hurt anyone, I apologize..." She also mentioned that it would sadden her if her words unintentionally hurt her "brothers in the Fauj."

Twitter Post

Read Chadha's full apology here

Backlash

Chadha was slammed on the internet for her tweet

Chadha has been facing backlash for her Galwan tweet. Reacting to it, Bharatiya Janata Party's Manjinder Singh Sirsa called it a "Disgraceful tweet" while adding that the Bollywood actor should immediately withdraw her tweet. "Insulting our armed forces is not justified," Sirsa further wrote. Apart from him, many others on the internet also bashed her for mocking the Army.

Complaint

Ashoke Pandit even demanded FIR against Chadha

Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit even demanded an FIR against Chadha for her tweet. Pandit tweeted demanding a complaint against the actor for "mocking & abusing our security forces." In a previous tweet, Pandit called Chadha one of the "apologists in the film industry," adding that she mocked the ultimate sacrifice of soldiers in the 2020 Galwan clash between India and China.

Twitter Post

See Pandit's tweet here