Actor Bhumi Pednekar has spoken out against the online abuse directed at a young female protester, condemning the rape and death threats she allegedly received after a video of her went viral, reports Hindustan Times.
The actor shared a new video on social media days after facing criticism for her earlier comments on the language used by protesters during demonstrations.
In the video, Bhumi said she was disturbed after watching an interview of a young woman who appeared visibly shaken following online harassment.
“I saw a video on the Internet in which a young girl who was part of the protest was giving an interview, and she looked visibly broken and shaken,” Bhumi said.
According to the actor, the protester’s viral video led to rape and death threats against her, while even her mother allegedly became a target of abuse.
“This is unacceptable. We cannot bully a young girl. We cannot put fear psychosis in a young child’s mind just because we don’t agree with their opinion,” she said.
Drawing from her own experiences as a public figure, Bhumi said online harassment can leave a lasting impact on mental health.
“As women, we anyway face a lot of harassment, and as a public figure, I have gone through that experience. I cannot tell you how deep and lasting its impact is on someone’s mental health,” she added.
She concluded by urging people to pursue progress through unity and constructive dialogue.
Bhumi’s latest statement received mixed reactions online.
While some users appreciated her condemnation of online abuse, many others described the video as an attempt at “damage control” following the backlash over her earlier comments.
Several social media users argued that the actor should have spoken against threats and harassment before criticising protesters’ language.
The criticism stems from a previous video in which Bhumi urged protesters not to use abusive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
She had said that such language was inconsistent with Indian values and questioned whether people would speak similarly to elders in their own families.
“This isn’t our culture. A country will only progress when we discuss both our flaws and our strengths with unity,” she had said.
Her remarks prompted criticism from some social media users, who accused her of focusing on the protesters’ language rather than addressing the issues that had prompted the demonstrations.
Bhumi’s latest statement shifts the focus to online harassment, with the actor calling for empathy and stressing that disagreement should never lead to threats or intimidation.
