Wrestler Geeta Phogat on Thursday said Delhi University student Gurmehar Kaur, whose social media posts had stoked a national debate on free speech last week, had the right to air her views, days after she had come out in criticism of the posts.
Had condemned posts
Geeta and her sister, wrestler Babita Phogat, had on Tuesday condemned Ms. Kaur’s statement that Pakistan had not killed her father, a Kargil martyr, but war had.
On Thursday, the Phogat sisters were in the Capital to sign a memorandum with the South Delhi Municipal Corporation to become brand ambassadors for the civic body’s efforts under the Swachh Bharat Mission.
Speaking to the media after the event, Ms. Geeta said that though she did not agree with Ms. Kaur’s views, she did respect her right to express them.
“Everyone has the freedom to air their views and talk about what they think is right or wrong. We said what we thought was right, and she said what she felt was right,” said Geeta.
Referring to the violent clashes between students outside Ramjas College last week, she said that what had happened was “wrong”.
‘Stand by her’
Ms. Geeta said she stood by Ms. Kaur in the face of threats of violence and rape. “She [Kaur] said she got rape threats. We stand with her or any woman in these circumstances.”
Meanwhile, the Phogat sisters will now be seen and heard on billboards, advertisements and radio across south Delhi, promoting the SDMC’s achievements in the fields of solid waste management and overall sanitation.
