This Article is From Aug 28, 2013

Novelist Chetan Bhagat attacked for tweet on rape and rupee

Novelist Chetan Bhagat attacked for tweet on rape and rupee
New Delhi: Best-selling novelist Chetan Bhagat faced nationwide anger on social media sites on Wednesday after tweeting that the country's plunging currency had been "raped".

This evening, the writer tweeted in response, "Really. I am trending now? Surely reforming me must be the most pressing issue. Economies crash everyday."

The controversy began with him posting this tweet - "The rupee is asking, is there no punishment for my rapists?"

The comments by Mr Bhagat, whose novels are popular with India's middle-class youth, came amid renewed outrage over violence against women after the gang-rape in Mumbai of a photographer last week.

Twitter users slammed the former investment banker.  "Making a fun of a serious offence rather an inhuman act & comparing with downfall of Rupee is NOT AT ALL funny," wrote one user.

Mr Bhagat swiftly deleted his tweet as the uproar grew, calling it "harmless" and saying he had referred to rape as a "metaphor" for the rupee's troubles.

The Mumbai attack rekindled memories of the fatal gang-rape of a 23-year-old student in New Delhi last December that sparked nationwide protests and brought to the surface anger about violence against women in India.

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