India: The Supreme Court’s order banning sale of fire crackers in Delhi-NCR till November 1 prompted a torrent of mixed reactions on social media on Monday. While many lauded the apex court’s efforts to save the city from being engulfed in toxic haze like last year, several saw the order as a dampener on Diwali celebrations.
Among those opposing the ban, was author and columnist Chetan Bhagat who took to Twitter to raise questions that resonated with a large number of people.
SC bans fireworks on Diwali? A full ban? What’s Diwali for children without crackers?
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) October 9, 2017
Bhagat, an active Twitter user, started a thread by asking the SC (and Twitter) what Diwali was for children without crackers. He was slammed by several users who tweeted saying Diwali was supposed to be a festival of lights, not pollution, a festival where children could breathe properly.
Can I just ask on cracker ban. Why only guts to do this for Hindu festivals? Banning goat sacrifice and Muharram bloodshed soon too?
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) October 9, 2017
The festival of light falls on October 19 this year.
Banning crackers on Diwali is like banning Christmas trees on Christmas and goats on Bakr-Eid. Regulate. Don’t ban. Respect traditions.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) October 9, 2017
There is no prohibition on lighting celebratory firecrackers or their sale outside the National Capital Region except 23 districts of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana and Rajasthan, and 14 districts in Gurgaon.
I want to see people who fight to remove crackers for Diwali show the same passion in reforming other festivals full of blood and gore.
— Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) October 9, 2017
