Internet celebrity Lilly Singh on Friday took to Twitter to express her concern about the state of violence and conflict that ensued in India since the passing of the Citizenship Amendment Act.
The Indian-origin Canadian YouTuber, formerly popular as 'Superwoman', wrote "India is so close to my heart. It saddens me to see the violence and discrimination happening. It’s not right". The 'A Little Late With Lilly Singh' host further added, "Would be very grateful if anyone could send me any reliable sources of information so I can learn more".
The tweet comes amid ongoing protests and clashes between police and civilians in various states including Uttar Pradesh where the situation is tense after the death of at least 19 protesters in clashes this week. The protests, which started after December 12 when the Narendra Modi-led government passed CAA, intensified across states after a protests led by students of Jamia Millia Islamia university in Delhi turned violent with several students receiving injuries in ensuing clashes with Delhi Police.
Coming at such a time, Singh's tweet has been going viral with over 7,000 likes in just a few hours. Responding to her request for "reliable sources of information" regarding the matter, several journalists, political activists, news organisations and ordinary netizens shared links to media coverage of the protests. Many appreciated Singh for speaking up about the issue.
Nevertheless, many criticised the social media star for her tweet, accusing her of indulging in her privilege with the tweet.
I'm so fed up of the privilege showcased here... ♂️♂️♂️You have a team... Resources... And position.... Do the bare minimum...!!!Instead of asking "Reliable Source" on twitter!!!...— Avatar_Aang (@the_aang1) December 27, 2019
You're an actual millionaire and you're going to act like you don't have access to information? It's both disingenuous and lazy and all it does is buy you more time to secure the bag under the guise of "I didn't know what was going on" - it's disappointing but not surprising.— Otherwise?* (@PearlPillay) December 27, 2019
You could've used Google you know. Instead of this very very fake sounding tweet. Dissapointed.— Tanzila Anis تَنزِیلَہ اَنِیس (@aaliznat) December 27, 2019
It’s so close to your heart but so far from thoughts. The troubles have been going on for awhile. This looks like lip device— Harry (@HarryOverHere) December 26, 2019
So disappointing Lilly. You literally made a career in desis and our quirks and when it is about something of substance, you don't know enough. Ughh. Don't you have a late night show and hence must be on top of current affairs and have opinions?— Pistol 4.0 (@payoshnis) December 27, 2019
Yet, others felt that it was unfair to criticise the former YouTuber for asking for help.
thank you for using your voice and speaking up about it bby— j♡ (@TeamSuperB0ston) December 26, 2019
thank you for using your voice and speaking up about it bby— j♡ (@TeamSuperB0ston) December 26, 2019
In fact, asking for verifiable and reliable sources of information may not be such a bad idea, considering the myriad pieces of fake news and misreportage that has been rampant since the protests intensified. Like a Twitter user put it, "it's a minefield of treacherous intentions".
There's a lot of misinformation by those opposing CAA. It's a minefield of treacherous intentions. Please tread carefully. All that's printed or said isn't the truth or even half of it.— Shiva prasad. (@VeturiShivapra1) December 27, 2019