Amitabh Bachchan's tweet on Mary Kom irks North East

Guwahati, Aug 8:

is back in the news and this time it is not regarding the ethnic violence that has hit the area, but due to Bollywood's very own superstar

. The strife-torn state was mentioned by

, "

!! wins boxing bout, insured (sic) a Bronze! What a story! A Mother of two from Assam, creates moment of pride for India!!" Little did he know that India's medal hope in the

is from Manipur and not from Assam.

The unintentional faux pas has angered many from the North East and the fact that someone of Bachchan's stature got his geography wrong is seen as unpardonable by many. Some have also questioned if he deserved to carry the Olympic torch for his gaffe.

Shillong-based rights activist Agnes Kharshiing has been quoted as saying by certain media channels, "A person of Bachhan's stature should at least brush up on geography before tweeting. What a shame that he does not know where Mary comes from... How much more discrimination can Northeast get from the mainland?"

Imphal-based TV anchor Y Rupachandra was even harsh in his comments, when he said, "If Manipur is Assam, then probably Mumbai is Allahabad. It is good that Big B is elated by Mary's achievement so far but sad that he has the Indian map all jumbled up."

Mary Kom's stellar performance in the ongoing London Olympics was lauded after she defeated Tunisia's Maroua Rahali in the quarter-final bout in the Women's Flyweight boxing (51 kg) category assuring India of a medal. Her semi-final bout will be held today.

Realising his mistake, Bachchan later apologised. That was a good gesture from the megastar that he understood his error and tendered an apology.

OneIndia News