From Alec Baldwin shooting to Aryan Khan's arrest; here are the top controversies of 2021

SUMMARY

From the suspension of former US President Donald Trump to the Pegasus scandal; the arrest of Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan in a drug raid to a Union minister’s son allegedly mowing down protesting farmers, 2021 is riddled with controversies and falling outs.

By CNBCTV18.comDec 22, 2021 5:15:14 PM IST (Published)

Here’s a look at the top controversies that rocked the year amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Aryan Khan in jail: Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan’s son Aryan was arrested after the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) raided and seized drugs from a cruise ship on October 2. Aryan was granted bail on October 28 after spending over 20 days at Mumbai’s Arthur Road Jail.

Peng Shuai saga: Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai had reportedly gone missing after she accused a senior Communist Party leader of sexual assault. Her disappearance for about three weeks triggered widespread concern, with international sports stars pressurizing the Chinese government to provide proof of her well-being. Later, a video was released by the Chinese state media showing Shuai having dinner with her friends in a restaurant.

Pegasus probe: An investigative journalism initiative by 17 media organizations revealed in July that a number of eminent politicians, journalists, activists, and bureaucrats across the globe had been allegedly put under illegal surveillance using Israel-built spyware called Pegasus. Over 300 people from India including politicians, activists, business persons, and journalists were part of the global list.

UK’s Christmas party scandal: UK’s top bureaucrats were recently mired in controversy in a “Christmas Party scandal” which claims three rule-breaking parties were organized by the government staff in 2020 that broke COVID-19 protocols in place at the time. The parties were hosted at Downing Street and the education department when the country was under Tier 3 restrictions, which banned parties and social gatherings.

Alec Baldwin pulled the trigger: While shooting for the film 'Rust in New Mexico' in October 21, Hollywood actor Alec Baldwin fired a prop gun with a live round, killing cinematographer Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza. "Someone is responsible for what happened, and I can't say who that is, but I know it's not me," Baldwin told ABC news recently.

When Christian Ronaldo chose water: Portugal footballer Christian Ronaldo inadvertently caused a worldwide stir when he pushed aside two bottles of Coke placed on the table at a press conference and held up a bottle of water. The gesture was enough to wipe off $4 billion from the beverage behemoth’s market value.

Donald Trump banned: Social media platforms Twitter banned former US President Donald Trump while Facebook suspended his account after his supporters stormed the US Capitol in January. His account was banned over concerns that he might incite the mob further. Trump responded by launching a new social media network – TRUTH Social – to fight the big techs.

U-turn on farm laws: After year-long protests, the Indian government decided to repeal the three contentious farm laws passed in September 2020. Farmers had been protesting against the Farmer’s Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Bill, 2020, Farmers (Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and Farm Services Act, 2020, and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020 since its introduction, claiming they would benefit large corporates and hurt farmers.

Facebook exposed: Facebook came under scrutiny after a scathing testimony by former employee-turned-whistleblower Frances Haugen who said Facebook’s choices were “disastrous” for children, public safety, privacy, and democracy. Haugen’s documents revealed that Facebook favored and treated the elite differently and that the company’s algorithms fostered discord. In a rebranding exercise, Facebook changed its corporate name to Meta.

Vir Das’ two Indias: Actor-comedian Vir Das faced massive backlash for his international show Two Indias recently when he described two contrasting faces of the country saying, “I come from an India where we worship women during the day and gang-rape them during the night”. Following criticism, Vir Das tweeted a statement on November 16, saying his monologue ends in applause for the country “we all love, believe in, and are proud of”.