Paresh Rawal Wants Arundhati Roy Tied To Army Jeep, Sparks Storm

Many Twitter users asked Rawal not to “behave like a troll” while others rose to defend him.

BJP MP and Bollywood star Paresh Rawal on Monday took to Twitter to attack acclaimed author Arundhati Roy.

Instead of tying stone pelter on the army jeep tie Arundhati Roy !

— Paresh Rawal (@SirPareshRawal) May 21, 2017

Rawal was referring to last month’s infamous incident of a Kashmiri man being tied to an Army jeep, propped up as a human shield to deter stone-pelters.

Here's the video as well. A warning can be heard saying stone pelters will meet this fate. This requires an urgent inquiry & follow up NOW!! pic.twitter.com/qj1rnCVazn

— Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) April 14, 2017

And Rawal wasn’t done yet. He further tweeted,

We have a wide variety of choices ! https://t.co/rpciWyhLha

— Paresh Rawal (@SirPareshRawal) May 21, 2017

The BJP MP had chosen to accept the suggestion of a certain @ayush_dzire, welcoming his advice of allowing veteran journalist Sagarika Ghose to take Arundhati Roy’s place on the jeep if need be.

It isn’t the first time a public personality has spoken out in defence of the Army’s use of a human shield.

कश्मीर में सेना ने जीप के आगे पत्थरबाज को बाँधा मैं इसका घोर विरोध करती हूँ,😡😡

आजु- बाजु और पीछे भी बाँधो पत्थर तो किधर से भी आ सकता है।☺😂😂 https://t.co/ZYVbzDk42o

— Babita Phogat (@BabitaPhogat) April 16, 2017

My take on Major Nitin Gogoi's actions in today's Indian Express. https://t.co/Kw4hD5H0nd

— Capt.Amarinder Singh (@capt_amarinder) May 20, 2017

It doesn’t take much to cause a Twitter storm. And when an MP openly bats for an author to be tied to an Army jeep and humiliated, it wasn’t surprising that those on the social media site had a lot to say.

From activists alleging Rawal was inciting violence...

@PrashantKrPawan @SirPareshRawal You do know that this tweet could get u behind bars for incitement to violence.

— Priyanka Borpujari (@Pri_Borpujari) May 22, 2017

...to politicians joining the bandwagon, everyone had a 140 characters to spare for Rawal and Roy.

@SirPareshRawal Why not the person who stitched PDP/BJP alliance ?

— digvijaya singh (@digvijaya_28) May 22, 2017

@vinaydokania @SirPareshRawal Goonda-gardi, gaali-galoch, maar-peeth that's all people like him can think of. Not shocked !!!

— Saniya Sayed (@Ssaniya25) May 22, 2017

Some expressed shame that an elected lawmaker could make such a statement.

@Ssaniya25 @SirPareshRawal Shame that he s a legislator.

— Vinay Kumar Dokania (@vinaydokania) May 22, 2017

@SirPareshRawal Shame on BJP MP Paresh Rawal for instigating violence.

— Ashish Vivek Merukar (@AMerukar) May 22, 2017

Others wanted police action against the MP.

@SirPareshRawal And you should go to Jail for saying this. This is violence against women! And cyber crime. It should be reported at the police station.

— rituparna borah (@rituparnaborah) May 22, 2017

@SirPareshRawal A member of parliament, lawmaker, theater artist saying so???? Do you know a word called 'Shame' ? Lost all regards for you Sir.

— Atma Prakash Mishra (@atmapmishra) May 22, 2017

That it was getting difficult to distinguish a Member of Parliament from the average Twitter troll was also pointed out.

@SirPareshRawal Sir,I respectfully disagree.No need to bring DOWN the discourse so LOW. You're a respected actor,request you not to fan the flames of TROLLS

— Nikhil Hajirnis (@nhajirnis) May 22, 2017

But there were also those who proclaimed their dislike for the author. Such an account by the name of AllSee Yogi, claimed that Arundhati Roy deserved a police complaint against her for “whatever she has been blabbering on international forums”.

@rituparnaborah @SirPareshRawal First file an FIR against Arundhati for whatever she has been blabbering on international forums then bring in the feminism here.

— AllSee Yogi ☄️® (@awwlsee) May 22, 2017

And Twitter user Meera Singh is looking forward to Arundhati Roy exposing herself.

@SirPareshRawal Media has started declaring this tweet as controversial, but its going to expose Arundhati in the process...looking frward.. :)

— Meera Singh (@meeraremi11) May 22, 2017

And if Arundhati Roy and Sagarika Ghose are getting trolled, how can Barkha Dutt be far behind?

@SirPareshRawal Hatts off to Paresh Rawal. What I thought you wrote here. Only one difference left. I imagined Arudthati & Burkha Dutt

— Saiju Menon (@voice_of_fire) May 22, 2017

@SirPareshRawal @RohiniShah1 we can tie barkha dutt at top and sagarika ghose at back for 360 protection

— Pulkit Tyagi (@tyagi_pulkit93) May 22, 2017

Twitterati were quick to pick on the BJP’s silence on its MP’s controversial comment.

@SirPareshRawal I am surprised why your party @BJP4India is not saying anything against it. Where is our PM @narendramodi

— rituparna borah (@rituparnaborah) May 22, 2017

But others felt Rawal’s tweet had somehow pulled the mask off “so many public figures”.

@SirPareshRawal One good thing that has happened during this #Modi era is that true nature of so many public figures has come out. The mask is off.

— Aadil н u s s a і п (@hussain_aadil) May 22, 2017

@SirPareshRawal Add John Dayal too on one side

— karunakar puthran (@coondapoor) May 22, 2017

@SirPareshRawal Also
Rajdeep
Sagarika
Prashant Bhushan
Kavita
Barkha Dutt
Pallavi gosh

& more MoFo to that jeep & Kashmiris would hv stoned them 2 death

— Chal, Nikal... (@cricket4india) May 21, 2017

So what influenced the Bollywood star to make such a comment? Leave it to Twitter to try and play Sherlock.

@vinodkapri ..May be it's Babu bhaiya drunk tweeting.....😂

— Sunrise (@sonaa2014) May 22, 2017

@SirPareshRawal Just Heri Pheri pic.twitter.com/qD2Z2i2c1I

— Pirzada Suhail (@_S_u_h_a_i_l) May 21, 2017