I'm not Zaira Wasim: Babita Phogat, after tweets spark controversy

On April 15, Babita posted a tweet targeting Tablighi Jamaat, an Islamic sect whose event became India's coronavirus super-spreader.

Posted originally in Hindi, the tweet is loosely translated to "Coronavirus is the second biggest problem in India, the first one remains uneducated Jamaatis."

At the time of the press, the tweet had garnered 19,500 RTs and nearly 77,000 likes.

The tweet, and a couple of others, didn't age well on Twitter and hundreds of users demanded that her account be suspended.

#SuspendBabitaPhogat remained a top trend and to counter it, Babita's supporters posted tweets with the hashtag #ISupportBabitaPhogat.

As things got ugly on the micro-blogging website, Babita put an over one-minute long video, saying she would not be silenced.

In the clip, Babita said she was receiving threats. "I am no Zaira Wasim, I won't get threatened, I have always fought for my country, I stand by my tweets," she said.

To recall, Zaira snapped ties with Bollywood last year saying acting was affecting her relationship with her religion.

The decision sparked a huge controversy, with many opining Zaira was bullied into quitting.

Babita also lent support to Rangoli Chandel, actor Kangana Ranaut's sister, whose account was suspended on Thursday.

Fuming over the Moradabad stone-pelting incident, Rangoli called for "shooting mullas" and a section of media who supported them.

She didn't mind being called Nazis for suggesting violence. After her account was suspended, Rangoli said she doesn't want to be a part of an "anti-India" platform.

To recall, Tablighi Jamaat held a congregation in Delhi's Nizamuddin Markaz in March which turned into a COVID-19 hotspot.

A large number of coronavirus infections in India are linked to the sect.

However, with hate speech and sensationalism taking over the country's fight against the deadly disease, states like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu have appealed to not communalize the incident.