Yuvraj Singh faces charges for using casteist slur on Yuzvendra Chahal

A police case was filed against Yuvraj for using a derogatory term to refer to Chahal

yuvraj-singh-yuzvendra-chahal Yuvraj Singh; Yuzvendra Chahal | Reuters; AFP

Former India all-rounder Yuvraj Singh has found himself in more trouble after he was called out by social media users for using a casteist slur on fellow cricketer Yuzvendra Chahal. Now, a police case has been filed against him for casually using the derogatory term to refer to Chahal.

Dalit activist and advocate Rajat Kalsan has reportedly lodged the complaint with the police against Yuvraj. Kalsan had also called out India vice-captain Rohit Sharma for not discouraging Yuvraj from using such slurs.

Yuvraj had made the casteist remark during an Instagram Live session with Rohit. The duo were discussing Chahal’s videos on the content-sharing platform TikTok when Yuvraj called the leg-spinner ‘bhangi’.

In addition to using the slur against Chahal, the former all-rounder also questioned the leg-spinner's choice to let his family members perform with him in his TikTok videos. Rohit, meanwhile, was seen laughing as Yuvraj made the comments.

The Instagram Live had happened in April, but a clip that showed Yuvraj using the slur against Chahal was widely shared recently, prompting social media users to call him out, with several people demanding an apology from him. The incident had sparked outrage on Twitter, and even led to a hashtag ‘Yuvraj Singh Maafi Maango’ (Yuvraj Singh Must Apologise) to trend on the platform.

Yuvraj had previously faced the wrath of social media users when he and Harbhajan Singh had pledged support to Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi’s foundation in the fight against COVID-19. However, following Afridi’s unsavoury remarks against India Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yuvraj said he regretted having supported the Pakistan cricketer’s cause.

“Really disappointed by @SAfridiOfficial's comments on our Hon'b PM @narendramodi ji. As a responsible Indian who has played for the country, I will never accept such words. I made an appeal on your behest for the sake of humanity. But never again,” Yuvraj had tweeted. His poor choice of words for Chahal, however, did not go unnoticed and has irked the Twitterati. 

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