Gurmehar Kaur row: Virender Sehwag says his tweet was not meant to bully Kargil martyr's daughter

New Delhi: Virender Sehwag took to Twitter on Wednesday to clarify over his tweet, which created a furore across the country. The former Indian cricketer was accused of bullying Gurmehar Kaur, after he posted a tweet which was seen as a way to poke fun at the 20-year-old.

Two days after posting the tweet, the Delhi-born cricketer issued a clarification in a series of tweets where he said that he wasn't aiming to bully Gurmehar.

"My tweet was an attempt to be facetious rather than one to bully anyone over their opinion. Agreement or disagreement wasn't even a factor," Sehwag said.

My tweet was an attempt to be facetious rather than one to bully anyone over their opinion. Agreement or disagreement wasn't even a factor. — Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) March 1, 2017

"She has a right to express her views and anyone who threatens her with violence or rape is the lowest form of life," he added.

She has a right to express her views and anyone who threatens her with violence or rape is the lowest form of life. — Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) March 1, 2017

"Everyone has a right to express their views without being bullied or threatened. Gurmehar Kaur or the Phogat sisters," he concluded.

Everyone has a right to express their views without being bullied or threatened. Gurmehar Kaur or the Phogat sisters. — Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) March 1, 2017

Gurmehar, who is the daughter of martyr Captain Mandeep Singh, took the Internet by storm when she posted a video in May last year where held a placard that read, “Pakistan did not kill my dad, war killed him.”

Sehwag, who now has close to nine million followers on Twitter, recently posted a photograph holding a placard that read, "I didn't score two triple centuries, my bat did".

Unlike his funny tweets, this one created a ruckus across the country with several communities hitting out at the Delhi-born cricketer.

Kaur, who got death and rape threats after her campaign against the ABVP, has been provided adequate security by police.

A day after the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) wrote to Police Commissioner Amulya Patnaik over the threats to Kaur, the police slapped a First Information Report.

On Monday, DCW forwarded a complaint of the Lady Shri Ram College student regarding the online abuse. The Deputy Commissioner of Police of the area then spoke to her and provided necessary security, the police said.