Troll attack on Indian minister reprehensible

Social media should be a medium to engage and empower, not ride roughshod and intimidate

India’s External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is the latest highprofile person to become the dartboard of the country’s social media trolls. Over the years, this army of cyber bullies has made it a routine to viciously attack and vilify anyone perceived as acting against their core beliefs. So the senior-most woman in India’s government and an active Twitter user, got a taste of the troll medicine after she helped an interfaith couple, who accused a passport official in her department of discriminating against them.

According to the right-wing troll logic, Swaraj appeased the ‘Muslim’ community by not taking the erring official’s side. A majority of cyber bullies called for her to be removed from the Hindu nationalist government, currently in power. Some even called her “Pakistani medical mata (mother)” and other unprintable abuse. While Swaraj seemed to be initially unaware of the situation (since she was on an official trip to Europe), she subsequently highlighted numerous tweets targeted at her to reveal the trolling. What is appalling is that no one from her own party — Bharatiya Janata Party — and none of her Cabinet colleagues, not the least the country’s prime minister, uttered a word in support of Swaraj. This has led many commentators to allege that the coordinated nature of attack on Swaraj, seen as a progressive voice within the right wing, and the vilification campaign against her may enjoy subtle encouragement by the powers that be. Such furtive measures, if correct, are reprehensible. Due to its vast and transnational connectivity, social media should be a medium to engage and empower, not ride roughshod and intimidate.