Gambhir voices support for Gurmehar; Sehwag clarifies stance

Cricketer Gautam Gambhir on Wednesday voiced support for Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur, who is in the eye of a storm over her stance against student outfit Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and a video campaign advocating peace between India and Pakistan.

Gambhir, who termed that mocking or "ganging up" against Kaur, a martyr's daughter, for her views on the horrors of war was "despicable", is in sharp contrast to his former India opening partner Virender Sehwag's take on the issue.

"We live in a free country where everyone is entitled to their opinion. If a daughter who lost her father puts up posts about the horrors of war with the intention of achieving peace she has all the right to," Gambhir said in a video on Twitter.

"It is not an opportunity for everyone to show how patriotic they are and gang up on her to mock her. She is entitled to her opinion just as every other citizen is. Everyone may or may not agree with it but mocking her for it is despicable," he added.

Gambhir, in his statement, further said that he has utmost respect for the Indian Army, but the recent events have left him with a sense of disappointment.

Meanwhile, in a series of tweets, Sehwag clarified that his social media post in reply to Kaur was an "attempt to be facetious" rather than one to bully anyone over their opinion.

"My tweet was an attempt to be facetious rather than one to bully anyone over their opinion. Agreement or disagreement wasn't even a factor," he said in his first tweet.

"She has a right to express her views and anyone who threatens her with violence or rape is the lowest form of life."

"Everyone has a right to express their views without being bullied or threatened. Gurmehar Kaur or the Phogat sisters," Sehwag wrote in his third tweet.

Kaur is the daughter of Captain Mandeep Singh, who was killed in a militant attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Kupwara district on August 6, 1999, four days after Pakistani troops withdrew from Kargil.

--IANS

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