After the horrifying incident of a 29-year-old Ernakulam Law College student, Jisha, being sexually assaulted and murdered, people started taking to social media to vent out their anger. In the same row, Malayalam and Tamil actress Priyamani took to her twitter and tweeted in anguish that “Appalled and shocked to read about yet another tragic rape and murder! I don’t think India is safe anymore for women #JusticeForJisha.”
Appalled and shocked to read about yet another tragic rape and murder!i don’t think India is safe anymore for women#JusticeForJisha
— priyamani (@priyamani6) May 4, 2016
Someone in Bangalore is picked up in the middle of the night and was almost on the verge of being raped..and then this!#sick#india not safe!
— priyamani (@priyamani6) May 4, 2016
If this is the way it’s going..Women and Girls in India I pls beg all of u to get out of India and live elsewhere where it is safer!
— priyamani (@priyamani6) May 4, 2016
Well, it did not go down well with people and she earned the ire of her followers for her tweets. She was bombarded with criticism and hate by many followers, who called her insensitive since she ‘blamed India’ through her tweets. Some even asked her that she must leave the country while some called her “Aamir Khan’s sister”
@priyamani6 tell me where in the world you wana move libya, saudi,canada, US, kenya , pakistan etc where you are safe ??????????????????
— vishesh chaturvedi (@visheshchaturv2) May 4, 2016
@priyamani6 it’s a genuine concern, picking words ot of context is what ppl are doing. May b avoidng the mention on country could have hlpd
— Vamshi (@lovelyindiano) May 4, 2016
It’s ease to spread shallow coments,reality is bigger,v need 2 stand together and v should fight back,respect woman https://t.co/9ZO6U4ZJ71
— sarun Sathyan u (@USathayn) May 4, 2016
Ur tweet compels me to ask. R al filmy people murderers killing innocent people on road like Salman? Don label India https://t.co/XtOZaIm32d
— Sudhakar Rao (@sudhakar10) May 4, 2016
Twitterati took her tweets too literally and verbally thrashed her for speaking against the country.
@priyamani6 if HINDUSTAN is unsafe please leave our country….
— mallikarjun k (@mallikarjunk18) May 7, 2016
india is not safe for cini artists like tini tom due to dirty minded actress like @priyamani6
— Kulfi Selfie (@iAmKulfi) May 8, 2016
She finally clarified and responded to all those anti-tweets to her by saying that she didn’t say anything anti to the country and also asked her followers to read her tweets again.
To everyone who’s replying to my tweets…I request u to READ my tweets properly..I have never spoken against our country!
— priyamani (@priyamani6) May 4, 2016
I have only expressed my feelings towards the untoward incidents which have occurred and r still occurring!how is this anti India??READ!!
— priyamani (@priyamani6) May 4, 2016
Its so silly to read all the followers reactions to the tweet where I have just mentioned that the women in India aren’t safe!
— priyamani (@priyamani6) May 4, 2016
But, it didn’t even stop the twitterati to attack her.
@priyamani6 being a celebrity U need to be very clear. UR stat is giving wrong signal about the country. Incidents happened before.. so…..
— ♚ FreakyTraveller ♚ (@amaronline) May 5, 2016
Later, the actress had to clarify things by tweeting: To everyone who’s replying to my tweets…I request u to READ my tweets properly. I have never spoken against our country! I have only expressed my feelings towards the untoward incidents which have occurred and r still occurring! how is this anti-India??READ!!
Priyamani said “I’m proud of it, if I’m pointing out something wrong in society and get called Anti-Indian, then so be it. Whoever needs to understand my tweets, they understand it. I am proud to be called Aamir Khan’s sister. I tried my best to clarify myself to 5-6 people, the others, what can I say? If they want to they will, they don’t want to, what can I do? I hope this has got the conversation started. I didn’t want to clarify myself after a point, they want to make a mountain out of a molehill. I don’t own anyone any explanation. As a citizen of India I have equal right to voice an issue that almost every girl goes through in India one way or another. I’m happy to be called such a great actor’s sister.”
“The sexist replies I have gotten, that I should not be talking like this because I am an actor or because I wear certain clothes – they got out of hand. They are a reflection on society. I don’t owe anything to anybody.”
While Actor Dulquer Salmaan also tweeted the same, he didn’t receive as much anger as the actor did. Dulquer tweeted: Appalled and saddened by the brutality. If our women and children are not safe from our men then what is?? #JusticeForJisha.
Well, it seems that people got the wrong message from Priyamani’s tweets as she was simply stating the point that India is no longer safe for its women.