Former Indian cricketer Irfan Pathan has lambasted his Twitter trolls after a number of users sent out hate messages against him in reply to an earlier tweet regarding the #9Baje9Minute activity practiced across the country on Sunday night. The exercise done on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s behest was supposed to have people lighting earthen lamps, torches and mobile flashlights to show solidarity in the fight against coronavirus pandemic.
But a few miscreants also decided to burst firecrackers on the occasion – an act that seemed to have irked Pathan, who tweeted: “It was so good until ppl started bursting crackers #IndiaVsCorona”.
Soon after Pathan’s tweet, he started receiving a barrage of abuse directed towards him. In response, Pathan clubbed a few of the responses together in one tweet with the caption: “We need fire trucks can u help? @TwitterIndia”.
After one user asked him to ignore the trolls, Irfan also replied in the comment section saying: “I’m not worried abt WHAT PPL WILL SAY. PPL WHO KNOW ME AWARE OF MY CHARACTER But HATE has to stop.”
The Indian sports fraternity, including legendary Sachin Tendulkar and Rohit Sharma, came together to join in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s request to switch off the lights and light candles and diyas at 9 pm for 9 minutes on Sunday in order to show solidarity in the fight against the coronavirus outbreak.
In his address to the nation on April 3, PM Modi had urged the citizens of India to comes together and join the #9pm9minute initiative which, he said, was an act to illuminate the common purpose we are all fighting for, referring to the Covid-19 pandemic that has wreaked havoc across the world.
India skipper Virat Kohli shared a picture with his wife Anushka Sharma on Twitter, saying, “A prayer in unity does make a difference. Pray for every being and stand together.”