Akshay Kumar Trolled for “Glorifying” Manual Scavenging on Twitter

Twitterati were not happy when Akshay Kumar saluted manual scavengers for “serving the country in their own way”.

Akshay Kumar posted a tweet normalising manual scavenging, got trolled on Twitter.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter)

Bollywood star Akshay Kumar became the subject of online trolling after he posted a tweet on manual scavenging on Thursday morning. In the tweet, Akshay referred to manual scavengers as the ‘Cleaning Soldiers of India’. It was later deleted from his handle.

A job well done which we usually forget to acknowledge... serving the country in their own way, my salute to these ‘Cleaning Soldiers Of India’.

— Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar)

An Illegal Practice

Twitter users were quick to point out that manual scavenging is an illegal practice in India, not to mention a deplorable one.

Also Read: Manual Scavenging: A Banned Yet Rampant Indian Practice

A Practice Based on Caste

Caste-discrimination and manual scavenging go hand-in-hand, as certain castes are relegated to the job and are not given a way out.

Also Read: Manual Scavenging & Dalit Rights: Why We Must Know Who’s Rishi Pal

All Lives Matter!

Questioning Akshay’s unawareness, Twitter users also highlighted the inhuman aspect of manual scavenging as well as the problem in referring to the workers as ‘soldiers’.

Is This Patriotism?

People did not shy away from criticising Akshay’s ‘patriotism’. Some even went as far as to point out his Canadian citizenship.

Then Came the Damage Control

Akshay was quick to respond to the trolls and attempted to do some damage control.

Do you think Akshay’s glorification of manual scavenging is justified? Should celebrities be more aware of the law before they make such comments? Tell us what you think in the comments.

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