The picture of Himanshi Narwal, wearing the customary red bangles of a bride, sitting in quiet, stunned sorrow beside her husband, Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, quickly became a strong public emblem of deep sorrow.
The gut-wrenching image became the symbol of the terror assault in which 26 individuals were killed. The couple was married for only a week when Pakistan-backed terrorists targeted Vinay due to his religion, similar to 24 other tourists, and shot him at close range.
The people who shared Himanshi and Vinay’s Ghibli-inspired image to convey their shock and emphasize the tragedy quickly began to criticize her. In under two weeks, the trolls directed their wrath toward Himanshi. The victim of terror, who had lost her husband, called for peace. She stressed that Muslims and Kashmiris should not be blamed for the terror attack.
But why did this happen and what’s the need to troll her at this difficult juncture of her life? Have we lost the sensitivity or has she paid the price of being vocal about the assault they suffered at the hands of the merciless terrorists?
The Pahalgam Attack
In one of the most deadly attacks in Jammu and Kashmir, 26 tourists were killed by terrorists after asking for their religion. The terror attack was widely condemned the world for the manner in which innocent individuals were killed mercilessly.
Indian Govt has taken strict measures ever since the attack links to Pakistan surfaced and the Prime Minister has vowed to punish the perpetrators and their fathers.
Pakistan, as always, has denied any involvement with the terror attack, though the intelligence has revealed that it has a major role in giving shelter to the terrorists on its land.
The Conspiracy
One of the major reasons of carrying out such a ghastly terrorist attack has been to exploit communal fault lines in India and Hyderabad MP Assaduddin Owaisi has urged people not to fall into the trap.
However, such trolls only add to the communal fault lines and it also serves the purpose of the neighboring country.
As journalist Piyush Rai wrote, “Terrorists knew how to divide a society of educated, how to tear into their fake nationalism. They must be grinning — sitting in one corner of their hideout while scrolling through choicest of abuses hurled at Himanshi Narwal by Indian patriots. Their mission is now complete.”
Why Himanshi was targeted?
Things changed drastically after Himanshi issued a statement asking people not to target Muslims or Kashmiris. “We don’t want people going against Muslims or Kashmiris. We want peace and only peace,” she said.
Shortly after her remark, the social media wave quickly turned against her. What started as a heartfelt appeal against directing animosity at entire communities for the deeds of a few sparked a wave of cruel trolling on various social media platforms.
In the days after her announcement, the comment sections beneath her videos and posts quickly became inundated with a harmful blend of hate speech, personal insults, and communal slurs. Anonymous accounts launched allegations against her, branding her as “anti-national,” “sympathizer,” and more.
The remarks are deeply embedded in aggressive sexism, with certain individuals noting that she had just been widowed for a week and doubting whether she deserves a government pension or how she managed as a daughter-in-law.
Even aspects of her university years and her studies at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) have been pulled into the conversation.
Unnecessary trolling
The trolling of Himanshi has proved that there was no need for directing hatred against her. At this difficult time, where people have to empathise with her, they are targeting her with cruel and violent remarks. Some of the comments were highly toxic.
“Himanshi Swami Wife Of Late Indian Navy Officer Vinay Narwal Who Killed By Pakistani Jihadi Turned Out As Hindu Woke Pro Max,” read one post.
“Biwi na mile Himanshi Narwal (Don’t get such a wife),” read another.
Some even took it a step further by creating conspiracy theories, asserting that she felt no guilt about her husband’s death and that she had orchestrated the trip to Kashmir.
This goes to show that we as a society have lost sensitivity.
The orchestrated nature of the assault is merely a conscious effort to undermine and silence a woman who exhibited remarkable bravery by advocating for unity during one of the most fragile times in her life.
