Sehwag's tweet on lynched man draws ire on social media

Indian swashbuckling opener Virender Sehwag was a delight to watch on the field when in full flow. Even on Twitter, he has been a hit with his witty tweets. However, every once in a while, he would come up with a tweet, which, like that reckless shot in his playing days, would leave his fans shaking their head in disgust—his tweet on Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur and the one on global warming were widely criticised.

Sehwag was at it again when he tweeted the picture of a man from Palakkad, Kerala, who was lynched by a mob that accused him of theft. Eleven people have been arrested over the past two days in connection with the lynching. However, Sehwag chose to name only three people belonging to a particular community while condemning the incident.

Madhu, a native of an Adivasi village in Attappadi, was accused of stealing rice and groceries worth Rs 200. Madhu, reportedly, vomited blood and died in the police vehicle before he could be given treatment.

What hurt the state's conscience was that the attackers took selfies with the tied-up Madhu and circulated it on social media. From Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala, from superstar Mammootty to writer and activist Sara Joseph, all have condemned the incident in strong words. Vijayan described it as a “blot on Kerala’s progressive society”. Social media is abuzz with posts from Malayalis apologising to Madhu on behalf of the society.

But what irked the Twitterati was how Sehwag gave the incident a communal colour.

Expectedly, the 39-year-old cricketer is being widely criticised on social media for his 'communal' tweet.