As graphic trolling and abuse forced the foreign secretary of India, Vikram Misri, to make his X account private, questions have once again emerged on the role being played by aggressive and abusive right-wing accounts and media in shaping public discourse within India. We must also look at the international impact of that discourse.
https://thewire.in/society/india-online-trolling-rightwing-doxxing-vikram-misri
While the government has remained silent on this abuse, administrative services associations, a section of politicians, and media persons have offered their solidarity to the foreign secretary. These condemnations however remain centred around the foreign secretary’s illustrious career and on how undeserving he is of this abuse. And while that may be true, this once again minimises the broader problem: an online and media culture where abuse, graphic sexualised threats, the unauthorised release of personal information and cyber stalking have been routinely used to silence critics of the government within India for the last decade.
by Sarayu Pani
13/05/2025