Para-badminton star Manasi Joshi slammed cricketers Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina in an Instagram reel for hurting the sentiments of a disabled person.
Harbhajan was recently part of the Indian Champions team which won the World Championship of Legends tournament for retired cricketers by defeating the Pakistan champions at Edgbaston on Saturday.
Following the win, Harbhajan shared a video on Sunday. In it, former India spinner Harbhajan, teammates Yuvraj Singh, Raina and Gurkeerat Singh Mann can be seen limping and dancing to the Bollywood hit “Tauba Tauba.” “15 days to the end of legendary cricketer Tauba Tauba. Every part of my body hurts,” Harbhajan wrote in the post, tagging the song’s original actor-singer Vicky Kaushal and Karan Aujla.
Commenting on Harbhajan’s post, Manasi, a former world number one in badminton’s SL3 category, criticised cricketers for mocking the walking pattern of a disabled person.
“I want you stars to be more responsible. Stop making fun of the way disabled people walk. It’s not funny.”
“You have no idea how much harm your actions can cause. The praise you receive from people around you is appalling to see. This reel of yours will make people think it’s okay to make fun of the way disabled people walk and laugh at them. Many more disabled kids will be bullied because of this reel. If any of you athletes had done responsible community service in the disability field, you would not have come up with this reel. I am appalled that the PR companies of these athletes have endorsed this reel in public,” Manasi lamented.
“I am really disappointed in you @harbhajan3 @sureshraina3 and everyone in the comment section who is plagiarising this reel,” Manasi added.
“If you are mocking the way a polio patient walks then this is not legendary. This is encouraging bullying of young disabled children in India,” Manasi added in another comment on the video, which has been viewed more than 20 million times and garnered more than 1.5 million likes.
Manasi, currently ranked fourth in the world, won gold in the women’s singles at the 2019 World Championships. She will represent India in para-badminton at the Paris Paralympics, which will be held at the Porte de la Chapelle Arena in Paris from August 29 to September 2.
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First uploaded on: July 15, 2024 15:11 IST