By Arré Bench Jul. 16, 2020
Actress Rhea Chakraborty, rumoured girlfriend of Sushant Singh Rajput, has been receiving rape and murder threats. But she is not the only one. The list of women facing online abuse keeps growing longer.
Indian social media is infested with trolls. Be it politics, films, stand-up comedy, or nearly anything else, discussion in almost every sphere is dominated by hateful accounts who pile on to targeted individuals with a torrent of abuse and threats. Actress Rhea Chakraborty recently declared “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH” in a post on social media, sharing a screenshot of the kind of abuse she had been receiving online for over a month now.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Rhea Chakraborty (@rhea_chakraborty) on
Chakraborty attracted the negative attention of internet trolls due to her connection to Sushant Singh Rajput, whose death by suicide opened a can of worms about nepotism in Bollywood. While the intention of calling out nepotism might appear wholesome, the manner in which many trolls chose to attack the perceived beneficiaries of said nepotism was disgusting. Rhea Chakraborty is only one of many who have had to face such abuse in recent weeks.
Alia Bhatt, who comes from a film family, was one of the most attacked personalities in the wake of Rajput’s death. The trolling got so vicious that even her family was not spared. Alia’s sister Shaheen Bhatt, a writer, also received threats of rape and murder. Shaheen shared the screenshots on social media, giving a glimpse of the kind of attitudes prevailing among social media trolls.
Shaheen Bhatt shares screenshots of rape threats she received on Instagram, promises to 'not protect their identity' https://t.co/7Ub5Hizmzx
.
.
.#ShaheenBhatt— DNA (@dna) July 13, 2020
After Shaheen shared her story, her mother Soni Razdan also took to Instagram to make a statement against the abusive behaviour of troll accounts. “Social media has for too long now become the most antisocial media mainly because those running the platforms are not doing enough to prevent abuse,” she said in her post.
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Soni Razdan (@sonirazdan) on
These vile threats are not the sole preserve of anonymous trolls. Even small-time influencers indulge in such reprehensible behaviour. This was seen over the last weekend, when controversy over an old performance of stand-up comic Agrima Joshua was perceived as being insulting to Shivaji, leading to a flood of abuse coming her way.
Dear @AnilDeshmukhNCP @CPMumbaiPolice @MumbaiPolice @GujaratPolice We know you are aware of Shubham Mishra’s threats to incite rape of @Agrimonious evidenced in this disturbing video. Please listen to this again, we will not stop unless an FIR is filed. This is in your hands now! pic.twitter.com/KyEPE8McSV
— Khyati Shree (@KhyatiShree_) July 12, 2020
Agrima Joshua's harmless jokes have caused more outrage and legal ramifications than Shubham Mishra's abusive rape threats against her!
Shubham is apparently a 'viral sensation' on YouTube & Instagram
What does this show? Are we not a morally bankrupt nation?
— Srivatsa (@srivatsayb) July 12, 2020
With social media now a central component of our online interaction, this troll culture needs to be seriously addressed by the platforms where it thrives. We need better internet policing. As the victims themselves have been saying, enough is enough.
Related Content
Social Commentary Layer’r Shot and the Advertising Men’s Club
Advertising has always been a men’s club, and the terminally offensive Shot ad exemplifies how an industry struggling for ideas, almost always turns to treating women as props.
Add to listSocial Commentary Depp vs Heard and the Toxicity of Fanbros
The Depp vs Heard trial is evidence of the kind of toxicity that most male public figures command by being both irreverent and partially toxic themselves.
Add to listSocial Commentary The ‘Babudom’ of our Bureaucrats Echoes a Colonial Mindset
The Thyagraj stadium incident in Delhi is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to members of the Indian Civil Services exploiting the systems they are appointed to uphold. Rather than behave as genial, humble citizens they behave like ‘babus’ with god complexes. But the problem is that we let them.
Add to listSocial Commentary Surviving the Indian Summer as a Sanskari Woman
Every summer, women in India have to contend with ball-scratching, banyan-wearing men either telling them what to wear or leering at them long enough to force them into covering every inch of their burning skin. The body politics of this latest heatwave is a burden only women will be made to carry.
Add to listSocial Commentary Erasing Faiz Only Adds to his Significance
The removal of Faiz Ahmed Faiz’s poetry from CBSE’s school curriculum is a naïve step that only furthers the legend and significance of the poet’s seminal work.
Add to listYour weekly dose of Arré
Get the best from arre.co.in, straight to your inbox!
Comments