BJP Trolls | SabrangIndia News Related to Human Rights Mon, 12 May 2025 10:59:27 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 https://sabrangindia.in/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Favicon_0.png BJP Trolls | SabrangIndia 32 32 Trolled for Duty: Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri locks X account amid right-wing abuse over India-Pakistan ceasefire https://sabrangindia.in/trolled-for-duty-foreign-secretary-vikram-misri-locks-x-account-amid-right-wing-abuse-over-india-pakistan-ceasefire/ Mon, 12 May 2025 10:59:27 +0000 https://sabrangindia.in/?p=41726 From grieving widows to uniformed officers and veteran journalists, a toxic online ecosystem—enabled by silence at the top—continues to vilify those who speak truth, show empathy, or simply do their jobs

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]]> Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was forced to lock his X (formerly Twitter) account on Sunday, March 11, after becoming the target of a coordinated wave of online abuse. The trolling came in the wake of India’s announcement of a ceasefire with Pakistan, following a tense four-day military standoff that had included missile and drone strikes under Operation Sindoor.

Despite being the public face of the Ministry of External Affairs during the conflict, Misri faced intense backlash from right-wing social media accounts who labelled him a “traitor” and accused him of “surrendering” India’s military advantage. These attacks came after he officially announced the ceasefire on the evening of May 10, and continued through the next day with personal, often vicious, trolling.

The abuse escalated as trolls dug up old posts of Misri’s family, specifically targeting his daughter, Didon Misri, who is based in London and works at the global law firm Herbert Smith Freehills. Her brief internship with the UNHCR in Myanmar during her law school years was misrepresented by trolls as “legal support for Rohingya Muslims”, with coordinated narratives accusing both father and daughter of being sympathetic to causes seen as ‘anti-national’ by the far-right. In reality, Didon Misri specialises in international arbitration and has represented the Indian government in several legal matters abroad.

Misri had been at the forefront of delivering calm and measured briefings from the Ministry of External Affairs throughout the Operation Sindoor conflict. He had publicly defended democratic values, saying that “criticising the government is the hallmark of democracy”—a position at odds with the aggressive nationalist rhetoric from BJP supporters and affiliated online influencers. As per the report of The Wire, Misri’s refusal to confirm unverified claims—such as the death of Jaish-e-Mohammed leader Abdul Rauf Azhar, which the BJP had already broadcast as fact— might have further enraged right-wing circles.

After the ceasefire announcement, Misri became the scapegoat for what many online trolls framed as a strategic retreat. Many media reports, including The Wire, Times of India, LiveMint, showed how personal attacks turned abusive, accusing him of jeopardising national security, “prostrating before Pakistan,” and even targeting his daughter’s career choices abroad. As the trolling crossed into threats and doxxing, Misri was left with no choice but to lock his account—a rare move for someone in his position.

The backlash has been widely condemned by the IAS Association, journalists, and opposition leaders, who have pointed to the dangerous precedent of targeting civil servants for carrying out official duties. Yet, top government functionaries have remained silent. Notably, at the time of the publishing of the present article, neither External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar nor Defence Minister Rajnath Singh—who posted multiple times about BrahMos and Operation Sindoor—have publicly supported Misri or addressed the abuse.

The government’s silence has drawn sharp criticism and raised serious concerns about its unwillingness to protect bureaucrats from politically motivated social media attacks. At a time when foreign policy decisions are being dissected in real-time on volatile digital platforms, the abandonment of a senior diplomat in the face of such vitriol sends a chilling message about the costs of public service.

Background: The ceasefire announcement

On Saturday, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri announced a significant breakthrough: India and Pakistan had agreed to a ceasefire across land, air, and sea following a week of dangerous military escalation involving drones and missile strikes. Speaking at a press briefing, Misri stated that the Director Generals of Military Operations (DGMOs) of both nations had reached an understanding during a phone call and that the next round of talks are scheduled for today, May 12. The announcement came shortly after US President Donald Trump posted on social media, claiming the talks had been “mediated” by the United States.

The outpouring of support

Political Leaders Defend Misri: The vitriol prompted an outpouring of support from across the political spectrum. AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi reminded the public that civil servants function under the executive and should not be blamed for political decisions. “Mr Vikram Misri is a decent and honest, hardworking diplomat working tirelessly for our nation. Our civil servants work under the executive—this must be remembered. They shouldn’t be blamed for decisions taken by the executive or any political leadership running Watan-e-Aziz,” he posted on X.

The Congress party’s Kerala unit also condemned the trolling, noting the pattern of hate attacks. “Last week, Modi bhakts launched a vicious character assassination campaign against Ms Himanshi Narwal… Now, they’re targeting Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, as though he unilaterally decided on the ceasefire, not Modi, Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh or Jaishankar… Modi is now grappling with the Frankenstein’s monster he created in the form of the IT Cell,” the statement read.

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav slammed the government for its silence, writing: “It is the government’s responsibility to make decisions – not individual officers… but neither the BJP government nor any of its ministers are coming forward to protect his honour and respect.”

PDP spokesperson Mohit Bhan called the abuse an eye-opener, stating: “Calling this hate ‘nationalism’ is the biggest lie of our time. For a decade, patriots, soldiers, scholars, and diplomats have been attacked for rejecting bloodlust. The right-wing hate engine is India’s real threat, and this rot must end before it ends us.”

The video included in this post shows the kind of vile remarks that were made against Misri and his family.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, in an interview with NDTV, called the trolling “preposterous.” “Young Vikram Misri has done an outstanding job. He worked very hard, very long hours and is an extremely effective voice for India. I can’t understand who on earth would troll and why?” Tharoor added that the dignified conduct of officers like Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Colonel Sofia Qureshi should be celebrated, not attacked.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra posted on X: “Disgusting to see social media trolling of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri & family—no professional diplomat doing his job should be subjected to this. Stand strong, Sir—not everyone in this country is as vile as AndhBhakts.”

Congress leader Sachin Pilot wrote: “It’s unacceptable to target our professional diplomats and civil servants — those who work dedicatedly to serve the nation.”

Support from former diplomats and bureaucrats: Former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao labelled the attacks “utterly shameful,” noting they “cross every line of decency.” She defended Misri’s professionalism and condemned the doxxing and harassment of his daughter.

Former diplomat Navdeep Suri echoed this, saying: “It is absolutely disgusting to see the trolls target Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and his family. He has been a picture of professionalism—calm, composed, measured and articulate. But that’s not enough for the bloodlust of a section of our society. Shameful!”

 

Several senior bureaucrats rallied behind Misri. V Srinivas, Union Secretary of Administrative Reforms, praised him as one of India’s “most celebrated diplomats” who exemplifies a “Nation First” approach.

As per the report of The Indian Express, Srinivas Katikithala, Secretary of Housing and Urban Affairs and Misri’s batchmate, stated: “Highly regrettable that dedicated & sincere civil servants are targeted for performing their duties. His devotion to duty must be applauded & his family’s dignity must be defended.”

The IAS Association also issued a formal statement: “Unwarranted personal attacks on civil servants performing their duties with integrity are deeply regrettable. We reaffirm our commitment to uphold the dignity of public service.”

Solidarity was also shown by others:

Statements from civil society, media, and others: Prominent journalist Madhavan Narayanan recalled working with Misri during his stint in the Prime Minister’s Office under Manmohan Singh. “Pity that such composed career diplomats are being trolled for doing a thoroughly professional job. Something is terribly wrong somewhere in a country that cannot salute excellence,” he wrote.

Comedian and actor Vir Das commented: “Vikram Misri was amazing, so were Colonel Sophiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool.”

Fact-checker Mohammed Zubair highlighted the organised nature of the attacks: “First they went after Himanshi Narwal… Now the same trolls are going after Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and his daughter, abusing and sharing her mobile number.”

A symptom of a larger problem?

The abuse directed at India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and his family is not an isolated incident—it is part of a broader and disturbing pattern of coordinated online targeting, often against individuals who speak truth to power, advocate peace, or simply fulfil their public duties with integrity.

Journalist Raju Parulekar summed it up starkly in a tweet titled “Time to Rethink”, where he wrote:

“India’s Foreign Secretary and his family are targeted by RW troll army. That’s not surprising, as the traits of the Leadership percolate. ‘Congress ki vidhwa’, ‘50 crore ki girlfriend’, ‘jersey gaay’ etc show a glimpse into the patriarchal, misogynistic and regressive mindset of Narendra Modi.

If he can say this despite occupying a constitutional office, the trolls working to bolster his image can definitely stoop to the lowest.

Hopefully, the Babus learn something from this. Their political master is not the man worth dying for. And he’s certainly not going to stand for their honour against his troll army.”

 

Parulekar’s tweet captures the climate of impunity in which online abuse flourishes—a climate set from the very top and maintained by a digital ecosystem that treats dissent, empathy, and professionalism as offences worthy of punishment.

The episode has laid bare the toxicity of online discourse in India, especially when it intersects with nationalism, diplomacy, and military matters. Misri’s abuse is not an isolated incident but a continuation of a pattern where professionals who speak or act in favour of peace are vilified by right-wing online ecosystems.

Kashmir Times editor Anuradha Bhasin and The Wire’s Arfa Khanum Sherwani both reported receiving rape threats for their public stances. Bhasin, whose newspaper has consistently upheld a no-war position and has extensively documented the suffering of people living near the Line of Control, found her X account blocked amidst the threats. Sherwani, a senior journalist known for her integrity, also faced a barrage of abuse intended to silence and intimidate.

Defence spokespersons Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh were criticised by online trolls for allegedly “fumbling” during official press briefings. Several X accounts falsely claiming to be operated by the two officers began circulating soon after their appearances. The Press Information Bureau (PIB) was forced to intervene, publicly clarifying that both officers are not present on the platform and disavowing the impersonator accounts.

The widow of Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, Himanshi, also became a target after she spoke out against the communalisation of grief and the scapegoating of Muslims in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack. Her calls for peace and unity were met with vicious online character assassination, further highlighting the entrenched intolerance for dissenting or humane voices in a deeply polarised digital environment.

Together, these instances underscore the cost of empathy, integrity, and professional duty in today’s India. Whether one is a bureaucrat, journalist, officer, or a grieving family member—any expression that disrupts the dominant narrative risks being met with vitriol. In this environment, the state’s silence—or worse, complicity—only emboldens the attackers.

The refusal to hold those responsible for such coordinated harassment campaigns accountable raises critical concerns about the protection of civil servants, the weaponisation of digital hate, and the government’s unwillingness to condemn such behaviour when it comes from its support base.

As calls grow louder for action against the trolls, the dignified silence of Vikram Misri and his continued commitment to duty have earned him admiration from across ideological lines, proving once again that professionalism, integrity, and courage in public service still command respect.

 

Related:

Treading Carefully: Illusion of Accountability in an age of social media content creation

Censorship: The Wire, India’s credible news and analysis portal blocked, widespread condemnation

How Indian commercial media channels are using the provocative thumbnail to boost viewers and worse, provoke vicarious viewer response

Following executive order from government, X asked to block 8000 accounts in India

Pahalgam: Voices of peace and reason in times of war

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]]> Justice Nyaya Bindu grants bail to Arvind Kejriwal in excise policy case, and becomes a victim of a right wing campaign  https://sabrangindia.in/justice-nyaya-bindu-grants-bail-to-arvind-kejriwal-in-excise-policy-case-and-becomes-a-victim-of-a-right-wing-campaign/ Fri, 28 Jun 2024 07:47:12 +0000 https://sabrangindia.in/?p=36412 Supreme Court principles on personal liberty guide decision amidst political scrutiny

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]]> The vacation bench of Justice Nyaya Bindu on June 20, 2024 granted bail to Arvind Kejriwal in the excise policy case. The court held quoted the saying of Benjamin Franklin “it is better a 100 guilty men should escape than one innocent man should suffer” to show that this principle lays down a very important duty on the court, that is to prevent guilty persons from escaping while also ensuring no innocent man suffers.

The court order relied on the Supreme Court order, in the same case to grant bail to the accused.

“An important observation has been given by Hon’ble Supreme Court as pointed out by Ld. Counsel for the applicant in the order dated 10.05.2024, wherein it was observed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court that:-

“..no doubt, serious accusations have been made, but he has not been convicted. He does not have any criminal antecedents. He is not a threat to the society. The investigation in the present case has remained pending since August 2022. Arvind Kejriwal was arrested, as noted above, on 21.03.2024. More importantly, legality and validity of the arrest itself is under challenge before this Court and we are yet to finally pronounce on the same. The fact situation cannot be compared with harvesting of crops or plea to look after business affairs.

In this background, one the matter is subjudice and the questions relating to legality of arrest are under consideration, a more holistic and libertarian view is justified, in the background that the 18h Lok Sabha General Elections are being held.”

23. These observations of Hon’ble Supreme Court cannot be ignored while deciding the present bail application of the present applicant. It is reiterated by Ld. Counsel for the applicant that Supreme Court has considered the antecedents of the applicant and the same cannot be denied by the court.”

The court held that the ED had failed to establish that the co-accused Vijay Nair was acting upon the directions of Kejriwal and has also failed to show that Kejriwal has close relations with Vinod Chauhan and Charanpreet Singh.

“ED has also failed to clarify as to how it came to the conclusion that the sum of rupees one crore attached from Vinod Chauhan was the part of the proceeds of the crime. ED is also not clarifying as to how the alleged amount of rupees 40 crores being traced out during the investigation is forming a part of the proceeds of the crime,” the court said.

The court noted that the ED failed to reply on certain issues raised by Kejriwal like, he was not named in the CBI case or the in the ECIR FIR.

“Secondly, the allegations against the applicant have surfaced after the subsequent statements of certain co- accused. Thirdly, this is also an admitted fact that the accused has not been summoned by the court till date, yet, he is lying in the judicial custody at the instance of ED on the pretext of the investigation being still going on,” the court said.

The strong observations made by the trial court include, that the ED has failed to show the money-trial, the connection to Goa Election, work without bias, and connect Kejriwal to any proceeds of the crime, a timely investigation and any sort of connection with Vijay Nair.

The order of the trial court can be read here

Download PDF

 

The court while granting bail, observed that bulky documents had been filed by both the parties.

“Although, various bulky documents and citations have been filed by both the parties, most of which were not even relevant in respect of the present application but it seems that both the parties have filed the same alongwith detailed oral arguments with the apprehension as to an order may be passed in favour of the opposite party. Admittedly, the present matter is a peculiar case wherein various accused, witnesses and stake holders are involved and neither ED nor the defense wants the order to be passed in favour of the other. However, it is not passible to go through these thousands of pages of the documents at this juncture but this is the duty of the court to work upon the matter whichever comes for consideration and pass the order in accordance with the law.”

This statement created a stir of comments on twitter. The BJP IT cell attacked Justice Nyaya Bindu for the statement “However, it is not passible to go through these thousands of pages of the documents at this juncture but this is the duty of the court to work upon the matter whichever comes for consideration and pass the order in accordance with the law.”

Please embed the following tweets here:

This right wing campaign did not stop here.

The High Court of Delhi also in its order stayed Arvind Kejriwal’s bail while stating that the entire voluminous record was not perused. Such an observation was “totally unwarranted” and showed that the trial court has not applied its mind to the material.

“The observation made by the Vacation Judge in Impugned Order is uncalled for, unwarranted and out of context. The Vacation Judge should refrain from making such observations in the Impugned Order. The Vacation Judge was required to consider every important and relevant document at time of passing of Impugned Order,” 

The order of the High Court can be read here:

Download PDF

 

The law on bail

Bail is a right and jail is the exception, innocent until proven guilty are just maxim’s that have been left in India. The application of these principles in close to nil. In the case of Sumit Subhaschandra Gangwal & Anr. v. The State of Maharashtra  (Crl.) No(s). 3561/2023; 27-04-2023, the Supreme Court held as follows:

“Detailed elaboration of evidence has to be avoided at the stage of grant/rejection of bail/anticipatory bail. We do not appreciate such a lengthy elaboration of evidence at this stage.”

“It is always said that in the matters pertaining to liberty of citizens, the Court should act promptly. In our view, such an inordinate delay in passing an order pertaining to liberty of a citizen is not in tune with the constitutional mandate.”

In the case of Kadar Nazir Inamdar v. The State of Maharashtra (Crl.) No(s). 4793/2023 the rule of law laid down was reaffirmed.

“Recently, this Court, vide order dated 27.04.2023 passed in SLP(Crl) No. 3561/2023, had deprecated the practice of detailed elaboration of evidence in the orders granting/rejecting bail/anticipatory bail. This Court also depreciated the practice of long delay between reserving the matter for order and pronouncing the order” the court said, while reaffirming the judgement.

Justice Nyaya Bindu’s decision to grant bail to Arvind Kejriwal was firmly rooted in the principles of justice and fairness as emphasized by the Supreme Court of India. The Court’s stance that detailed elaboration of evidence should be avoided at the bail stage, as seen in Sumit Subhaschandra Gangwal & Anr. v. The State of Maharashtra and Kadar Nazir Inamdar v. The State of Maharashtra, underscores the need for prompt and just actions in matters affecting personal liberty. Justice Nyaya Bindu’s remarks on the impracticality of reviewing thousands of pages of documents in a short timeframe reflect the principles laid down by the common law system as well as the law of the country that is expedient justice rather than any dereliction of duty. The principles of “innocent until proven guilty” and the right to bail as opposed to pre-trial incarceration are foundational to our legal system, yet they often face challenges in practical application, especially under intense public and political scrutiny.

The subsequent criticisms from the right-wing factions and the Delhi High Court’s decision to stay the bail highlight a disturbing trend where judicial decisions are subject to public opinion rather than being solely based on legal merit. This public and political interference undermines the independence of the judiciary and threatens the core principles of justice. Justice Bindu’s approach, aimed at safeguarding personal liberty while the legal validity of the arrest is still under review, aligns with the constitutional mandate and Supreme Court directives.

Conclusion

The essence of our legal system is to uphold justice without fear or favour, irrespective of the public or political pressures. Justice Nyaya Bindu’s decision embodies this principle, focusing on the legal merits of the case and the rights of the individual. The integrity of the judicial process must be fiercely protected, ensuring that decisions are made based on law and justice rather than succumbing to external pressures. This case exemplifies the need for a judiciary that stands resilient against undue influences and upholds the rule of law, ensuring that the scales of justice remain balanced and fair.

By adhering to the principles laid down by higher courts and taking a stance that prioritizes liberty and justice, Justice Nyaya Bindu’s decision serves as a reminder of the core values that the judiciary must protect. The legal community and society at large must support and reinforce these values, condemning any efforts to undermine judicial independence and ensuring that justice prevails based on legal merits, not the court of public opinion.

Related :

Bail not Jail, India’s constitutional courts’ bumpy ride towards personal liberty

Understanding the PMLA & its bail conditions | Legal Insights

Examining Jurisprudential Shifts: The Evolution of Bail Provisions Under PMLA – Part II”

Prabir Purkayastha Case: Mandate of providing grounds of arrest to PMLA/UAPA accused, some safeguards

Arrest of Shiv Sena MP, Sanjay Rautt a ‘Witchunt’ & ‘Illegal’ says PMLA Court granting him bail in Money Laundering case

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]]> Lavanya Ballal Jain, Congress spokesperson, subjected to online sexual harassment; incident motivated by BJP spokesperson https://sabrangindia.in/lavanya-ballal-jain-congress-spokesperson-subjected-to-online-sexual-harassment-incident-motivated-by-bjp-spokesperson/ Fri, 05 Jan 2024 10:09:13 +0000 https://sabrangindia.in/?p=32233 Shehzad Poonawala used a sexual innuendo against Lavanya on social media, posted a video, and encouraged his followers to share the same with a contentious hashtag

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]]> The past few weeks have served as a reminder that even women in a position of power in India are not safe from facing harassment and sexual violence, and justice is as far a reality for them as it is for a common woman, complicated by further marginalization of caste, creed and religion. Towards the end of 2023, we saw Olympic medallist Sakshi Malik being forced to retire from wrestling in protest of a close aid of her sexual abuser becoming the president of the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI). Notably, the said sexual abuser is still a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). While India was yet to overcome the pictures of Sakshi Malik crying at a press conference and leaving her wrestling shoes on the table as she announced her retirement, the news of three men, two of which were associated with the ruling party, getting arrested for gang raping a 20 year old student in the campus of IIT- BHU surfaced. The association of the accused with the BJP party, along with their photos with the top-most leaders, caused an uproar on social media. High on the heels of this news, during the first week of 2024, we now witness a female Congress spokesperson being subjected to cyber harassment by leaders of the BJP party and its affiliated persons.

Since January 2, Lavanya Ballal Jain, a spokesperson for the Congress party, has become the target of online trolling after a heated TV debate with BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla. The incident occurred during a live interview where Poonawalla made comments on Jain’s name and mockingly referred to her as “Lavanya BJ”, which lead to a sharp exchange between the two. In the interview itself, Lavanya pointedly asked Poonawalla to not make sly comments against her name.

“Do not make vulgar inferences, I’m very aware of the social media team talking about my name,” Lavanya had said while asking the host of the TV interview to ‘control’ her guest during the debate.

In response to her remark, Poonawalla could be seen smiling shamelessly.

The controversy further escalated when Poonawalla posted a video clip of the TV interview on his social media account, questioning why Jain was triggered by his factual statements. The said video had been captioned by Poonawalla as “Don’t know why Lavanya BJ was so triggered when I quoted facts!!”

The said post can be viewed here:

As the said post started getting wind, Lavanya took to social media to express her dismay and accused Poonawalla of insulting her name and religion during the TV interview. She referred to the BJP spokesperson as a ‘cheapster’ and urged him to refrain from making vulgar comments during interviews. In a post on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter), Lavanya also claimed that Poonawalla was on the payroll of one of the richest Jain individuals, indirectly alluding to Gautam Adani.

“Abusing Jain’s while being on their payroll is a bj party habit. Your payroll comes from one of the richest (Jain) man on earth,” wrote Lavanya in her post.

The said post can be viewed here:

As was expected, the comments made by Poonawalla led to opening of a flood gate of misogynistic and derogatory remarks against Lavanya. Following the TV debate, Lavanya was severely trolled online on social media platforms, particularly on X, where the hashtag #LavanyaBJ gained traction and was trending for hours on X. Since the hashtag contained a derogatory term, the online attacks against the Congress spokesperson were further intensified. It is essential to highlight here that Poonawalla did not only ask the misogynistic bullies to not harass Lavanya, but rather was gleeful about the said hashtag trending for hours on X. in his post, Poonawala wrote:

In another post later, he wrote “Now let’s move on from #LavanyaBJ – I know this isn’t in my or your control and its spontaneous outburst of people on SM towards the arrogance, ignorance of the congress spokesperson but let us now have the bigger heart & ignore her.”

The complete post can be accessed here:

Poonawala has also reposted posts from his profile on ‘X’ which contains the said derogatory hashtag and misogynistic remarks.

Some of the same are:

 

Some examples of the social media harassment that she was subjected to is as follows:

 

 

 

Lavanya responded to the said cyber harassment and attack strongly and did not let the remarks pass by. One of her post, responding to a troll, is as follows:

While many BJP supporters justified using the sexual innuendo against Lavanya by claiming that she herself refers to the BJP as the “BJ party”, she pointed that she had started using the word as a way to hit back at persistent trolling.

In view of the amount of harassment that Lavanya faced, many people, any some political leaders, stood in support of Lavanya. Supriya Shrinate, Chairperson Social Media & Digital Platforms and Member of the Congress Working Committee, took to ‘X’ to slam the bullies and express her anguish at the harassment that Lavanya was being subjected to. Calling the incident to be a “mob lynching of the worst kind, armed with sexual innuendo”, Shrinate wrote:

Mohan Kumaramangalam, Working President Tamilnadu Congress, also took to X to express his dismay and wrote:

Even today, more than two days after the incident, trolls were harassing her:

This whole incident serves as a reminder as to how BJP leaders misbehave, and encourages others to demean women, especially if the woman is from an opposition party.

 

Related:

Wrestler Sakshi Malik quits wrestling as close aid of sexual harassment accused Brij Bhushan gets elected as president

Delhi Police on Brij Bhushan sexual harassment case: “Liable to be prosecuted and punished for sexual harassment, molestation and stalking”

Trolling, harassment of Dalit writer and activist, Shalin Maria Lawrence condemned: NWMI

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]]> Rhythm of Resistance: When T M Krishna Did Sing https://sabrangindia.in/rhythm-resistance-when-t-m-krishna-did-sing/ Thu, 22 Nov 2018 05:34:40 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2018/11/22/rhythm-resistance-when-t-m-krishna-did-sing/ “Politics can be strengthened by music, but music has a potency that defies politics.” -Nelson Mandela Image Courtesy: The News Minute On November 17, when people gathered at the Garden of Five Senses in Saket, it was not just for their love of music, but also in solidarity with a particular kind of politics. The […]

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]]> “Politics can be strengthened by music, but music has a potency that defies politics.”
-Nelson Mandela


Image Courtesy: The News Minute

On November 17, when people gathered at the Garden of Five Senses in Saket, it was not just for their love of music, but also in solidarity with a particular kind of politics. The evening was special and the performance important because T M Krishna was performing in Delhi three days after the Airports Authority of India (AAI) “postponed” an event featuring the Karnatic singer, owing to a backlash from right-wing trolls who called Krishna an “anti-national” “Urban Naxal”.

The threats could not budge T M Krishna who made a public announcement asking for a stage, anywhere in Delhi on November 17, for him to come and sing. Responding to his appeal, Manish Sisodia, Deputy Chief Minister of Delhi, stepped in and invited Krishna to perform. “No artist should ever be denied an opportunity to perform. I have invited T M Krishna to perform on November 17 for the people of Delhi. It’s important to maintain the dignity of the art and artists”, Sisodia said.

Politics and art, thus shared the same stage at the Delhi government’s event, “Awam ki Awaz”. Krishna said before commencing his performance, “The spirit of the day has transformed over the few days and keeping with the spirit, I will try and see if we can see multiple voices, languages, traditions, religion in the concert. I will not speak much.” And while Krishna refused to talk about politics, his music spoke for him.

He struck a mesmerising chord against the on-going cultural barbarism that the country is subjected to. Starting with an all-denominational prayer that Mahatma Gandhi had instituted at the Sabarmati Ashram, Krishna’s performance included a Malayalam rendition in praise of Jesus Christ, an adaptation of Nagoor Hanifa’s Islamic Tamil song, Kabir, Tukaram, Basava, Perumal Murugan and much more.

Around the same time when AAI decided to postpone Krishna’s performance, the organisers of another event hosting T M Krishna also received threat calls. Krishna is scheduled to hold a concert and music workshop on “Rare Krithis of Sri Muthuswamy Dikshithar” on 22–23 November at Gana Bharathi in Mysuru’s Kuvempunagar area. The organisers, however, as per a report in ThePrint, are planning to go ahead with the event. “There is no need to bow down to the pressure by some random elements”, Himanshu C R, one of the organisers said.
In the times when expressing a dissenting opinion mean threats, vandalising venues and cancellation of events, Krishna’s performance was loud enough to reverberate a rhythm of resistance.

Daniya Rahman is a member of the editorial collective of the Indian Writers’ Forum.

Courtesy: Newsclick.in

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]]> AAP takes up T M Krishna’s concert, to be held in Delhi on Saturday https://sabrangindia.in/aap-takes-t-m-krishnas-concert-be-held-delhi-saturday/ Fri, 16 Nov 2018 10:22:07 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2018/11/16/aap-takes-t-m-krishnas-concert-be-held-delhi-saturday/ Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, making the announcement Friday, said no artist should ever be denied an opportunity to perform.   New Delhi: Carnatic musician T M Krishna will perform in New Delhi on Saturday evening. In a tweet, the vocalist announced that he will be performing with RK Shriramkumar, Praveen Sparsh and Anirudh […]

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]]> Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, making the announcement Friday, said no artist should ever be denied an opportunity to perform.

TM Krishna
 
New Delhi: Carnatic musician T M Krishna will perform in New Delhi on Saturday evening. In a tweet, the vocalist announced that he will be performing with RK Shriramkumar, Praveen Sparsh and Anirudh Athreya at Garden of Five Senses, Near Saket, New Delhi at 6.30 pm on Nov 17.
 

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, making the announcement Friday, said no artist should ever be denied an opportunity to perform.


 
 
The AAP government had offered to host Krishna in the national capital after an event in which he was to perform was called off by Airports Authority of India (AAI- SPIC MACAY.)
 
The Airports Authority of India’s decision to postpone the event came after Internet trolls attacked the organiser for supporting an “anti-India” musician.
 
“Give me a stage anywhere in Delhi on November 17, I will come and sing. We just can’t let ourselves be cowed down by this kind of threats,” TM Krishna had said.
 
Krishna’s views on constitutional values like secularism and his attempts widening the reach of Carnatic music concert repertoire by including hymns in praise of Christ and Allah, and poems by writers including Perumal Murugan, have made him a target of right-wing attacks.
 
“The troll army has the underlying patronage of people in power,” he said. “I have been trolled for a long time for my social position, my perspectives on politics in India and my disagreements with the BJP regime… I believe in every art form… Allah, Jesus and Ram make no difference… It is a multi-lingual and multi-religious country,” Mr Krishna said, a report said.
 
The Magsaysay Award winner first came to the attention of right-wing groups in August when an audio clip reportedly of his Carnatic songs on Allah and Jesus Christ was circulated on WhatsApp. A fringe group in Tamil Nadu had threatened him for singing the songs.
 
Born in Chennai, TM Krishna started learning music at the age of six and trained under several top musicians like Chingleput Ranganathan, Vidvan Seetharama Sarma and Semmangudi Srinivasier. An economics graduate from Madras University, he has authored three books — Voices Within: Carnatic Music – Passing on an Inheritance, A Southern Music – The Karnatik Story, and Reshaping Art.
 
Related Articles:
Airport Authority cancels T M Krishna’s concert after twitter trolls call him anti-Indian.
 

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]]> Let T M Krishna Sing https://sabrangindia.in/let-t-m-krishna-sing/ Fri, 16 Nov 2018 05:28:38 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2018/11/16/let-t-m-krishna-sing/ What kind of country stops a musician from singing? What kind of country keeps its citizens from listening to this musician? India today is such a country — the same India where those who dissent are intimidated; the same India where those who speak up for Indian diversity are silenced; the same India where citizens […]

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]]> What kind of country stops a musician from singing? What kind of country keeps its citizens from listening to this musician? India today is such a country — the same India where those who dissent are intimidated; the same India where those who speak up for Indian diversity are silenced; the same India where citizens are lynched because of their caste or community.


Image Courtesy: E P Unny

On November 5, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) announced on its twitter handle that Karnatik vocalist T M Krishna would perform in Delhi as part of the programme “Dance and Music in the Park,” organised jointly by The Society for the Promotion of Indian Classical Music and Culture Amongst Youth (SPIC-MACAY) and AAI. But according to a report in The Indian Express, on the night of November 13, AAI informed SPIC-MACAY over email that the concert has been postponed. “Because of some exigencies of work, we are not in a position to go ahead with the dance & music concert jointly organised with SPIC MACAY on 17th and 18th November, 2018 at Nehru Park, New Delhi. Hence, we request you to kindly postpone to a new date and inform all concerned. The new date will be discussed with SPIC-MACAY soon,” the email said.
This comes days after AAI’s tweets about T M Krishna’s performance received backlash from trolls who were enraged by the fact that T M Krishna was invited to perform.  AAI was accused of organising a concert that would feature the “anti-India”, “anti-Modi”, “Urban Naxal” singer using public funds. Some trolls also tagged senior government officials such as Suresh Prabhu, Minister for Civil Aviation.

Krishna’s attempts to increase the Carnatic music concert repertoire by including hymns in praise of Christ and Allah have been frequently attacked by Hindu right-wing activists. In August, TM Krishna, OS Arun and Nithyashree Mahadevan were targeted by the Rashtriya Seva Sangham, a group based in Tamil Nadu, for singing devotional songs about “gods of other religions”. In response, Krishna resolved to sing one Karnatic composition every month on Jesus or Allah, which was ostensibly the cause for his concert at the United States being cancelled. In September, during his tour of the United States, he was invited to perform at the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Maryland but his concert was cancelled by the organisers after he was accused by Hindutva groups of singing Christians songs. However, a group of music lovers in Georgetown University, Washington organised a concert for him on campus the same day.

This time too, like the Maryland incident, Krishna has many people standing by his side. According to a tweet by CNN News18, the AAP government has extended an invitation to T M Krishna to come and perform at the National Capital on 17 November after an unfazed T M Krishna announced, “Give me a stage anywhere in Delhi on November 17, I will come and sing. We just can’t let ourselves be cowed down by this kind of threats”.

Commenting on the incident, poet and critic Ashok Vajpayee told the Indian Cultural Forum, “The cancellation of Krishna’s concert in Delhi is yet another instance of a continuing assault on the pluralistic nature of the Indian culture, traditions and arts, including music. Krishna has boldly asserted and taken upon himself to highlight the presence in and contribution to carnatic music of Muslims and Christians. Apart from being an insult to the classical, this assault is anti-Indian and anti-tradition.”

Renowned poet and author K Satchidanandan told the Indian Cultural Forum, “I am very sad that the trolls have taken control over our culture. Very recently, Ramachandra Guha was not allowed to take the visiting doctorship at the Ahmedabad University and now T M Krishna has been discouraged from singing at this festival.” Calling the incident “disheartening”, he added, “Musicians and music lovers look at him with great awe. To deny him the chance to sing in Delhi and to deny the audience a chance to listen to him, is in my opinion, an extremely criminal act on the part of whoever has done it and we know who has actually done it. These trolls know nothing about T M Krishna’s music, they have only heard from someone or the other that he is very critical of the right-wing government at the centre. It is because of Krishna’s political position that they are denying him his stature as one of the leading musicians of the country, trying to popularise classical music. This is yet another step towards the kind of barbarism that is already prevailing in the country and all of us as writers and artists should stand up against this kind of trolling and attacks on all artists.”

Writer Githa Hariharan told the Indian Cultural Forum, “T M Krishna has integrity, not only in his artistic practice, but also in his convictions. All of us, whether musicians or writers or film makers, are citizens. We do not produce our work in an apolitical vacuum. We have the right to critique the present government and its extended family of hoodlums. Equally important, all citizens have the right to read our books, watch our films, and listen to our music without trolls as guardians. This is why we say, quite categorically: Sing, Krishna, we want to hear you.”

Ramachandra Guha too has tweeted in support, “When a scholar like myself is stopped from speaking, that is intolerance. When a great musician like T M Krishna is prevented from performing, it is not intolerance, but barbarism.”

T M Krishna talks to the Indian Cultural Forum:

Courtesy: Indian Cultural Forum
 
 

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]]> Airport Authority cancels T M Krishna’s concert after twitter trolls call him anti-Indian https://sabrangindia.in/airport-authority-cancels-t-m-krishnas-concert-after-twitter-trolls-call-him-anti-indian/ Thu, 15 Nov 2018 10:45:28 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2018/11/15/airport-authority-cancels-t-m-krishnas-concert-after-twitter-trolls-call-him-anti-indian/ Krishna’s views on constitutional values like secularism and his attempts widening the reach of Carnatic music concert repertoire by including hymns in praise of Christ and Allah, and poems by writers including Perumal Murugan, have made him a target of right-wing attacks.   New Delhi: A concert by Carnatic singer T.M. Krishna scheduled for Saturday […]

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]]> Krishna’s views on constitutional values like secularism and his attempts widening the reach of Carnatic music concert repertoire by including hymns in praise of Christ and Allah, and poems by writers including Perumal Murugan, have made him a target of right-wing attacks.

TM krishna
 
New Delhi: A concert by Carnatic singer T.M. Krishna scheduled for Saturday was postponed by the organizers, the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and SPIC MACAY, allegedly after a tweet about the concert was attacked by online trolls who called for its boycott.
 

Krishna had re-tweeted AAI’s invitation on Monday, which triggered a spate of trolls who targeted the government body for sponsoring the concert. The tweets accused AAI of using public funds to sponsor Krishna, who sings about “Jesus and Allah”, is “anti-India”, a “converted bigot” and an “Urban Naxal”.
 
Soon after, the hashtag #DisinviteTMKrishna started doing rounds on Twitter.
 
The trolls also tagged senior functionaries in the government, including Minister of Railways, Coal and Corporate Affairs Piyush Goyal and Minister of Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu.
 
Krishna said he was even given assurances that the concert would go ahead as scheduled but it was cancelled without intimating him. “This is alarming. At least they could’ve come up with a better excuse to cancel my performance,” he told News18.
 
“Music fraternity is very timid and rarely do they take positions that are anti-establishment. I hope it changes culturally. We should be a country of artists who come together in supporting freedom,” he added.
 
AAI Chairman Guruprasad Mohapatra has denied the allegations that suggest the concert was postponed due to the backlash received for inviting Krishna.
 
Krishna’s views on constitutional values like secularism and his attempts widening the reach of Carnatic music concert repertoire by including hymns in praise of Christ and Allah, and poems by writers including Perumal Murugan, have made him a target of right-wing attacks.
 
“The Nehru Park concert was a collaboration between Spic Macay and the Airports Authority of India. Till late last week, the AAI was enthusiastically tweeting about the event, and asking people to come. However, when they heard that T M Krishna was to sing there, right-wing trolls began abusing him, and demanded that the event be cancelled. These trolls know nothing about his music; all they know is that, in his work outside music, Krishna is a critic of Hindutva and the Modi government. On Tuesday the 13th, the AAI announced that the event had been indefinitely postponed. They had succumbed to pressure, most likely exercised from above as well as from below. Who knows what calls were made from which office to make the AAI act as they did. But, because of their shameful capitulation, the music lovers of Delhi shall be deprived not just of the sublime pleasure of listening to T M Krishna, but of the two-day festival as a whole. (The other artists slated to perform were the sitarist Shahid Parvez, and the dancers Sonal Mansingh and Priyadarshini Govind.)” wrote Ramachandra Guha, a historian who was not allowed to teach in an Ahmedabad university due to the same pressure.

 

 

 “When, as happened to me in Ahmedabad, a scholar is prevented from speaking, that is intolerance. But to prevent a great musician from performing in the national capital is not mere intolerance — it is barbarism,” he said.
 
“Give me a stage anywhere in Delhi on November 17, I will come and sing. We just can’t let ourselves be cowed down by this kind of threats,” TM Krishna said.
 
the Aam Aadmi Party-led Delhi government on Tuesday vowed to hold his event in the national capital. The office of Deputy CM Manish Sisodia has already contacted the singer and is working on a date for the event. CM Arvind Kejriwal also extended an invitation.
 
In August, a Maryland temple had cancelled his concert, allegedly after Hindutva activists accused him of singing Christian hymns. In January this year, a Hindu right-wing group had threatened to disrupt his concert in Tirupur, the textile town in western Tamil Nadu, but it was held under enhanced security.
 

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]]> Stop the Online Vilification of Rana Ayyub: NWMI https://sabrangindia.in/stop-online-vilification-rana-ayyub-nwmi/ Sat, 28 Apr 2018 09:50:05 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2018/04/28/stop-online-vilification-rana-ayyub-nwmi/ The Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI) has expressed solidarity with journalist and author Rana Ayyub, after a tweet attributing a fake and controversial quote to her went viral and severely vilified her in the process. Though Ayyub is not new to such vilification and has been in the eye of the storm ever […]

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]]> The Network of Women in Media, India (NWMI) has expressed solidarity with journalist and author Rana Ayyub, after a tweet attributing a fake and controversial quote to her went viral and severely vilified her in the process. Though Ayyub is not new to such vilification and has been in the eye of the storm ever since here award winning book Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up, about the anti-Muslim riots in Gujarat in 2002 was published, this incident has rung alarm bells across civil society groups given how it makes journalists, particularly women, vulnerable to abuse.

Rana Ayub

In a strongly worded press release NWMI says, “Over the course of the past few days, starting with a parody account of Republic TV that attributed a fake tweet to Ayyub in which she purportedly defended child rapists and supposedly said that Muslims were not safe in India, this campaign has shown no sign of abating.” Though AltNews proved that the account was fake, it was too late, as by then the fake tweet and its image had been shared thousands of times on Facebook and WhatsApp along with a Hindi translation of the fake tweet that was posted on April 22.

NWMI fears for Ayyub’s safety given how despite the deletion of the fake tweet and account, other fake tweets have been circulating along with videos and content with Ayyub’s morphed face, with exhortations to gang-rape. “In a classic case of ‘doxing’, her address and personal number have been made public, making her vulnerable to further abuse that could also become dangerous in the real world,” says NWMI. The press release further states, “This concerted, malicious misrepresentation and open intimidation as well as incitement to violence has serious implications for Rana Ayyub and, indeed, all journalists. It cannot but have a very real chilling effect on free speech and opinion. It is also in contravention of all laws in India concerning violence against women.” NWMI calls out politicians including Prime Minister Narendra Modi for failing to “rein in their followers who harass, abuse and threaten in their names.” It lists the following two demands:

• The NWMI demands that the Cyber-Crime cell of the Delhi Police take immediate steps to ensure safety for Rana Ayyub, identify the source/s of the threats and take stringent action against them.
• The NWMI further demands that social media platforms like Twitter take steps to distinguish parody accounts from real ones and intervene when the platform is used for hate speech and threats of violence.

Meanwhile Reporters Without Borders has also come out in support of Ayyub saying, “Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns an unprecedented week-old hate campaign on social networks against Indian freelance journalist Rana Ayyub and calls on the government and the New Delhi police to do whatever is necessary to protect her.”

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]]> Trolls and right wing terror win as Humans of Hindutva shuts down https://sabrangindia.in/trolls-and-right-wing-terror-win-humans-hindutva-shuts-down/ Fri, 29 Dec 2017 11:11:05 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2017/12/29/trolls-and-right-wing-terror-win-humans-hindutva-shuts-down/ Humans of Hindutva, a satirical Facebook page that lampooned extreme right wing groups for their ridiculous interpretation of religion and culture, has been shut down. The page administrator, who has always remained anonymous, posted the following parting message on his website satyanash.com : “I’m quitting out of my own accord. I’ve not been banned or […]

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]]> https://sabrangindia.in/sites/default/files/field/image/hoh_0.jpg

Humans of Hindutva, a satirical Facebook page that lampooned extreme right wing groups for their ridiculous interpretation of religion and culture, has been shut down. The page administrator, who has always remained anonymous, posted the following parting message on his website satyanash.com :
“I’m quitting out of my own accord. I’ve not been banned or mass reported. I have recently received some threats to my life which I can’t take lightly. I am outnumbered, I live in a BJP state and come from a middle-class family with no political or police connections. I have no desire to end up like Gauri Lankesh or Afrazul Khan. I hope those who threatened me consider this as a victory and leave us alone. I have deleted the HOH page and will delete this website soon. Congratulations to Hindutva on winning this David vs Goliath fight.”

The page has been in the eye of the storm for making fun of right wing political leaders, spiritual gurus, the saffron brand of science and even the prime minister. Trolls would often get nasty in the comments section of some of the page’s wittiest posts.

Earlier in September, HoH had temporarily shut down as the administrator feared for his life in wake of journalist Gauri Lankesh’s murder. But following a strong show of strength and support from fans and followers, the page was back up. But this time, it looks like the page is gone for good.

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]]> Twitter Wall of Shame: Abusers, Bigots, Rumour Mongers, All followed by PM Modi https://sabrangindia.in/twitter-wall-shame-abusers-bigots-rumour-mongers-all-followed-pm-modi/ Fri, 08 Sep 2017 12:51:38 +0000 http://localhost/sabrangv4/2017/09/08/twitter-wall-shame-abusers-bigots-rumour-mongers-all-followed-pm-modi/ Since Gauri Lankesh’s brutal murder, social media saw an uproar on social media after it came to light that Prime Minister Modi follows the person who called the murdered journalist, Gouri Lankesh a ‘Bitch who died a dog’s death’. It was a quiet Facebook post on September 6 authored by Sudhanva Deshpande (Leftword) that first pointed it […]

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]]> Since Gauri Lankesh’s brutal murder, social media saw an uproar on social media after it came to light that Prime Minister Modi follows the person who called the murdered journalist, Gouri Lankesh a ‘Bitch who died a dog’s death’. It was a quiet Facebook post on September 6 authored by Sudhanva Deshpande (Leftword) that first pointed it out. Thereafter Rajdeep Sardesai said this loud and clear on the newshour show at 9 p.m. on September 7. On the same day, Sabrangindia did this story. Meet India’s Hate Mongers

The Prime Minister’s twitter handle following an abusive troll? Is this the first time that this issue has come up?The outrage builds up every few months yet the twitter handle of Mr. Modi continues to follow many serial abusers and rumor-mongers. 

This time, however, the BJP’s Media Cell in charge issued this rather brazen clarification.

 

To date, Narendra Modi has 33.8 million followers and he follows 1779 people. Compared to his vast following, those he follows aee a select few. Of the ones he follows, many are government handles, ministers, heads of States, senior journalists and other such profiles that the Prime Minister of a country is expected to follow. However, a select handful of these 1779 are profiles that will make a decent, civilised citizen, embarassed, even squirm. Serial abusers, rumor-mongers, misogynists, handles brimming with communal venom… they are all there.
Let us take a look at some of these tweets of the people the Prime Minister of our country has handpicked to follow. Please bear with us, the list is long. It is a hall of shame.

Sexist tweets / abuse directed at women

For all that the “proud” nationalists may say about “sanskar” and rich traditions, when we review the handles followed by the Prime Minister, sexist tweets directed at women stands out as a prominent feature. The attack is always personal and the targets are often journalists who are seen as critical of the government like Barkha Dutt, Rana Ayyub and Sagarika Ghose.

Here are a few examples:

actindia abusing barkha dutt
https://i2.wp.com/www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/nice_indian-abuse-anjana-om-kashyap.jpg?resize=640%2C373

Here are some lewd jokes of Samir Varier, yet another person followed by Mr. Modi.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3uyIfUUEAAUTlc.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3uyIfbUoAEzYWa.jpg

The abuse is often unprovoked. In this case, it is not sexist but this gentleman, whom Mr. Modi follows, doesn’t think twice before calling Rana Ayyub a terrorist and suicide bomber because she said her flight was running late.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C63z3j6XUAEl256.jpg

Mahaveer who is also followed by Mr. Modi posted this picture of journalist Neha Dixit and her husband Nakul Sawhney asking whether payment was made in “cash or kind”.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Co8I-bSWEAAavQR.jpg:large

Sonia Gandhi is also often a target of hateful misogynistic tweets

MRVChennai 1 cong leader demands 2 know Modijis clients when he sold tea. Can he ask a similar question of Soniaji? CLIENTS may be impolite but

This is an old tweet of Alok Bhat, dating before 2014. Mr. Modi chooses to follow him as well.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C05T3t0UsAAVEYL.jpg

Abusive Tweets

Former Vice President Hamid Ansari was following the flag code when he was called an “asshole” and a “bastard” by Rahul Kaushik.

https://i1.wp.com/www.altnews.in/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/rahul-kaushik-abuse-hamid-ansari-modi-pmo.jpg?resize=640%2C280
Here is Nikunj Sahu of BJP IT cell abusing Arvind Kejriwal
nikunj-sahu-abuse-arvind-kejriwal

Here is another example of a twitter handle that is humbled to be followed by Narendra Modi

It is not just politicians of rival parties who are target of abuse but other twitter users as well. Here are a few examples:

indiantweeter-ankit-jain-abuse-modi-raghu-ram
suresh-nakhua-met-pm-modi-abuse-gsurya

When Mahaveer’s account was deactivated for abuse by twitter, it was BJP’s Giriraj Singh who stood by him to get his account reactivated.

Giriraj singh I stand with Mahaveer

 

Rumor-mongering and tweets spreading communal tension

Amitesh Singh who projected himself as a BJP youth leader and claimed to be related to a BJP politician was followed by PM Modi. He tweeted a call to “kill 3000 Muslims” in response to a rumor that was doing rounds on the internet. What followed was his arrest and a denial from BJP that he was associated with them. If he was not associated with BJP, why did Mr. Modi follow this 19 year-old? That is a question we never got an answer to.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3usrgKVYAAGV2m.jpg

The rumor which led Amitesh to tweet the threat was started by a handle that was also followed by Mr. Modi. The handle has been suspended by Twitter.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3vkvlhUcAIP0xI.jpg
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3vkvlkVYAAEZa3.jpg

Who spread the rumor of doctor lynched by a Muslim mob? Handles followed by Mr. Modi. Every tweet in the picture below is from people followed by Mr. Modi.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CeeaN42XIAA7-01.jpg

The rumor that the murder of Swati in Chennai was started by Ramki. His claims were later proven to be fake but there was no retraction or apology.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3vvx51VcAE-FBY.jpg
This handle followed by Mr. Modi called for a boycott of Muslim businesses.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3vI2bSVMAEVF1x.jpg

In this case UP government had to tweet to bust the communal rumor being spread by Ritu Rathaur, another profile followed by Mr. Modi. The police filed a case against her for “attempting to disturb communal harmony by spreading sensational and controversial posts on social media”.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3ulo3IXAAAz-eJ.jpg

Even funerals are not spared when it comes to spreading fake news. No national flag for MP E Ahamed’s funeral, asked Kiran Kumar. A screenshot of TV footage said otherwise https://t.co/jKlNRbU0aC .

kiran-ks-e-ahamed-funeral

Here is another rumor spread by Rishi Bagree

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C3UwPDhWQAAcFSi.jpg

In this case an attempt to malign a UAE based business was led by Mahesh Vikram Hegde, one of the select few followed by the PM. The company filed a police case and the pictures were found to be photoshopped. Hegde is the founder of postcard news, a website that routinely spreads fake news.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C68TR9AWwAAX7IE.jpg

Meena Das Narayan raised the ‘Hindus under attack’ alarm after the Kollam temple fire. She knew “for sure”. The fire was caused by pyrotechnics display that was held despite a ban on the same.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CfsPnKjW8AA2HEW.jpg

So why does the Prime Minister of India follow such people? Is his social media team the culprit and Narendra Modi not really aware that his handle follows such profiles? In response to a RTI, PMO confirmed that “PM Modi himself tweets and posts content on his personal Twitter and Facebook accounts”. Mr. Modi is social media savvy and we have no reason to doubt the response of the PMO (:-P).

The other possible reason could be that these are all like-minded individuals, part of his core supporter group. He has also personally met many of these individuals in specially organized events. All of them flaunt the selfie with him, stating, “proud to be followed by Narendra Modi”. This also makes it very difficult for him to unfollow them. A tweet by RS Prasad condemning the celebratory tweets on the murder of Gauri Lankesh had upset some of them. Imagine the backlash from his supporters if PM Modi was ever to un-follow any of them. They are already running a hashtag #IStandwithNikhil in support of the person who called Gauri Lankesh a ‘kutiya”.

It is not that Mr. Modi has never un-followed anyone. After a massive outrage in 2014, he unfollowed a handle that had tweeted a morphed photograph of Gul Panag.

More recently he un-followed Jwala Gurunath after she had a spat with BJP Delhi spokesperson Tajinder Bagga.

“How can Narendra Modi be responsible for the tweets of people he follows?”  ask many of his supporters. None of us are responsible for the tweets of our followers. But hey, he is the Prime Minister of the country and he has handpicked this select group to follow. Moreover, this issue has been reported many times, tons of people have raised it on social media and there is no way PM Modi is not aware of this issue.

“Who are you to tell the Prime Minister who to follow?” ask his supporters. Sure, it is his choice. He is free to follow anyone he likes, be they serial abusers tweeting lewd and sexist tweets, or rumor mongers and riot instigators. Including the person who described Gauri Lankesh’s murder as “A bitch died a dog’s death”. And the world shall know that this is his choice.

Screenshots from the collection of @TruthofGujarat, @kapsology and @samjawed65 on Twitter. AltNews article was authored by Sam Jawed. The text here is not entirely the same.

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