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Who is Twitter user Gabbar Singh trending for anti-Hindu comments?

Several old posts made by influencer, Abhishek Asthana, known as 'Gabbar Singh' on platform X, have recently resurfaced,

By Ground Report
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Who is Twitter user Gabbar Singh trending for anti-Hindu comments?

Several old posts made by influencer, Abhishek Asthana, known as 'Gabbar Singh' on platform X, have recently resurfaced, causing an uproar on the internet. These posts, perceived as 'insulting' to Hinduism, its deities, scriptures, and religious beliefs, triggered this controversy.

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Although Asthana has issued an apology for his past posts, stating that he has grown as a person since then, the controversy continues to escalate. This is largely due to a comment made by Alt News co-founder Mohammad Zubair on Thursday (November 2). He stated that ‘Gabbar’ is fortunate not to be a Muslim, otherwise he would have been persecuted for his past remarks.

Who is Gabbar Singh (Abhishek Asthana)?

Abhishek Asthana, popularly known as ‘Gabbar Singh’ on X, is currently in the spotlight. Asthana, who borrowed his online moniker from a notorious villain in Hindi cinema, is the co-founder of Hood, a pseudonymous social media platform, and the founder of the ad agency GingerMonkey.

With a background as a software engineer, Asthana has amassed over 1.4 million followers on X and has become a prominent figure among right-wing trolls. His posts on X have evolved over time. While his earlier posts were direct critiques of the government with leftist undertones, they have gradually shifted towards a more centrist stance, leaning towards rightist ideology.

Today, Asthana is frequently invited to speak at right-wing events and counts celebrities like Union Minister Smriti Irani and Amitabh Bachchan among his followers on X.

However, Asthana’s past tweets have recently come under scrutiny. These include:

  • Statements indicating that he used to consume beef
  • Posts mocking cows
  • Remarks making fun of Kashmiri Pundits
  • Comments ridiculing RSS

What's the matter now?

A series of tweets by Abhishek Asthana, dating back to 2013, have recently resurfaced on X. These tweets contain derogatory remarks about Hindu deities and beliefs, including comments on Lord Shiva’s ‘phallus’, Brahminism, and the Hindu epic Ramayana. For instance, in April 2020, Asthana tweeted that he was not a big fan of the ‘Ch***ya Ramayan’.

In August 2013 and April 2017, he made inappropriate jokes about the names of certain individuals, equating them to the ‘phallus of Lord Shiva’. Furthermore, Asthana has openly expressed his fondness for beef in several tweets, a topic that is sensitive for many adherents of Hindutva. In a tweet from November 2020, he stated that he had consumed beef many times and didn’t understand the controversy surrounding it.

In another incident from November 2016, Asthana tweeted about an interaction with a substitute maid who identified herself as a Brahmin and promised to cook clean food. He mentioned that he immediately dismissed her.

As these old tweets began to circulate widely on social media, causing outrage among many, Asthana issued an apology. He acknowledged that his past tweets were in poor taste and disrespectful.

“A few old tweets surfaced. People rightfully pointed out they were not in great taste & disrespectful. Though they were old, and since then I have matured as an individual, still it isn’t an excuse. I have deleted all of them. Unconditional apologies for the same,” he posted on X on Thursday while deleting the old tweets.

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