The controversy surrounding former Indian cricketers Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, and Suresh Raina continues after they allegedly mocked disabled individuals in a viral video. Arman Ali, Executive Director of the National Council for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), has filed a complaint against them for “insulting” and “making fun” of over 100 million disabled people in India.
The complaint was submitted to the Amar Colony police station in New Delhi, targeting Instagram (owned by Meta) for breaching the Information Technology Act.
The video in question, released after their victory against Pakistan in the recent World Championship of Legends exhibition T20 tournament in the UK, shows the trio pretending to limp to the song “Tauba Tauba,” supposedly to illustrate the physical toll of competitive cricket on their aging bodies.
However, Ali says, “…When I saw the video of Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina where they were pretending like disabled, kind of mockery on a viral song, I think it’s an insult to more than 10 crore disabled people of India.”
He added that someone like Harbhajan, who is a Member of Parliament, should be advocating for awareness about disabilities.
“Harbhajan Singh is an MP, and he should raise his voice for the disabled, but what kind of video he is making?… In India, there is an acute lack of awareness concerning disabilities. You are spreading myth and making fun of them and that’s why I have filed a complaint…,” he said.
Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, and Suresh Raina are under scrutiny for reportedly making fun of the disabled in a video
In response to the backlash, Harbhajan removed the controversial video and issued an apology on social media, clarifying that it was not meant to offend anyone and was intended as a lighthearted way to illustrate how their bodies reacted to “playing cricket for 15 days.”
— Harbhajan Turbanator (@harbhajan_singh) July 15, 2024
“Just wanted to clear to our people who are complaining about our recent videos of Tauba Tauba on social media after winning the championship here in England. We didn’t want to hurt anyone’s sentiments. We respect every individual and community.”
“And this video was just to reflect to our bodies after playing continues cricket for 15 days. SORE bodies.. we r not trying to insult or offend anyone.. still if people think we hv done something wrong ..All I can say from my side. SORRY to everyone .. plz let’s stop this here and move forward. Stay happy and healthy. Love to all. Regards,” Harbhajan said in a post on social media.
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