Derek O'Brien gifts tickets of Deepika Padukone's 'Chhapaak' to colleagues

New Delhi: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Derek O'Brien has come out in support of actress Deepika Padukone, who is being widely criticised by a section of the internet for her visit to the violence-hit Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) on Tuesday evening. 

Amidst several of hashtags on Twitter condemning Deepika's visit, Derek O'Brien tweeted '#IStandwithDeepika' and booked tickets of her upcoming film 'Chhapaak' for a couple who works with him. 

"First day. First show. #ChhapakDekhoTapaakSe. Tickets bought. And gifted to a young couple who work with me. Enjoy on Friday morning. #IStandwithDeepika," the TMC MP tweeted with a photo of the tickets he booked for the couple.

First day. First show. #ChhapakDekhoTapaakSe

Tickets bought. And gifted to a young couple who work with me.  Enjoy on Friday morning #IStandwithDeepika pic.twitter.com/8oNbATof52 — Citizen Derek |  (@derekobrienmp) January 8, 2020

On Tuesday evening, Deepika, after wrapping up the promotions of 'Chhapaak' in Delhi paid a surprise visit to JNU, where several students, including JNUSU president Aishe Ghosh, were injured in an attack by a masked mob over the weekend. She quietly attended a public meeting organised near the campus, stood near the protesting students, met Ghosh with folded hands and left in an hour. Quickly, pictures of the 34-year-old actress from the JNU campus took over social media and the internet was divided into groups. While Bollywood hailed Deepika for her 'strong move', netizens criticized her for standing with protesting students. 

Hashtags like #ISupportDeepika, #BoycottChhapaak, #ShameOnBollywood, #DeepikaAtJNU were some of the many top trends.

On Sunday (December 5) evening, the JNU campus was rocked by violence when the masked mob entered the varsity and attacked the students and professors with sticks and rods and also vandalised the property. More than a dozen students of the university were injured.

People across India have been condemning the act and several protests showing posters in solidarity with the JNU are being held. The violence also drew strong reactions from students and opposition party leaders and social media was flooded with hashtags in support of JNU. 

Strict action against those who resorted to violence on the campus is being demanded by the students and other protestors. Along with students, Bollywood personalities like Sushant Singh, Swara Bhasker, Dia Mirza, Zoya Akhtar, Shabana Azmi and Taapsee Pannu also protested over the JNU incident.