Harbhajan Singh Apologised and Deleted the Controversial 'Tauba Tauba' Video Amid Heavy Criticism

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A reel uploaded on Instagram by former cricketers Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, and Suresh Raina allegedly imitating people with disabilities caused an uproar on social media and later a police complaint was lodged against them.

Former Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh later apologised on 'X’ and deleted the video after being heavily criticised along with his other accomplices.

After winning the World Championship of Legends against Pakistan in the final, the former players posted their take on a viral Bollywood song “Tauba Tauba” on the occasion of celebration for the Sunday night victory. However, their steps seemed to mock people with disabilities and this opened a floodgate of criticisms from different sectors.

In the video, the players were seen limping and holding their backs to symbolise the hardship they had to endure for those matches. However, their innocent act did not go down well with the Indian Paralympic community. Indian para-swimmer Shams Alam stated the act was unacceptable and also revealed his despair that the players wouldn't be able to comprehend how hurtful it was for them.

Badminton player Manasi Joshi also urged them to be more responsible and restrain themselves from doing such acts in the future. “This isn't legendary if you're mocking the gait patterns of people with polio. This will enable bullying of young children with disabilities in India. You don't know how much harm your behaviour can do,” she commented.

Paralympic India also tagged the video as “disgusting and insensitive” and called their acts a “form of discrimination” demanding apologies.

Harbhajan Singh's Apology

Amid this flurry of criticisms, Harbhajan Singh wrote a long post on X. He wrote: "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 on our bodies after playing continuous cricket for 15 days. SORE bodies.”

“We are not trying to insult or offend anyone. Still, if people think we have done something wrong…All I can say from my side is SORRY to everyone... plz let's stop this here and move forward," the former spinner urged on social media.

Ravi Chauhan, General Secretary of DCCI (Differently Abled Cricket Council), stated that he spoke to the spinner on this issue and the latter apologised immediately and also promised to delete the video. He also stated that he is glad that Singh has kept his promise.

Legal Actions

In the meantime, a police complaint has been lodged by Arman Ali, the Executive Director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP).

“This video is a blatant violation of Article 21 of the Constitution of India… It also breaches Section 92 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016,” Aman Ali said in the complaint. Though Ali also expressed that Harbhajan Singh’s apology would not be enough and they should be penalised for their act.