English Script: Akanksha Pandey
Video Editor: Mohd Irshad Alam
After news of the gruesome murder of 27-year-old Shraddha Walkar broke last week, many took to social media to share their thoughts about the crime.
Aaftab Poonawala allegedly killed Shraddha, his live-in partner, and chopped her up into 35 pieces.
As gory details of this horrific incident continue to surface one after the other, people on social media are sharing memes, posters, and insensitive jokes in an attempt to spread a hateful, communal narrative.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kapil Mishra took to Twitter to term the crime a result of 'Love Jihad.'
Another BJP leader, Arun Yadav, and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) member Sadhvi Prachi followed suit, using the name "Abdul" to refer to Muslim men in their tweets.
The term "suitcase" is also being used in a lot of tweets, pointing to similar cases of murder in the past, in which the bodies of victims were reportedly found in suitcases.
In other words, many on social media are using this tragic incident to create hateful narratives and cause a communal divide. They are not bothered by Shraddha's death, but only want to further their "us" versus "them" agenda.
Devkinandan Thakur, a spiritual leader, tweeted in Hindi, "Do you know why you chopped up our Hindu daughter Shraddha into 35 pieces? Because Hindus have been silent."
How can the nature and gravity of a crime be ascertained by looking at the religion of the people involved?
Trolls Target Sonakshi Sinha
If that wasn't enough, Bollywood actress Sonakshi Sinha has also become a target of trolling, merely because she has a friend named Zaheer Iqbal.
Netizens are asking her father, Bollywood actor and Lok Sabha MP Shatrughan Sinha, whether he would give his daughter a fridge or suitcase for her wedding.
The 'shareholders' of religion are using social media to spew hatred on any and all interfaith relationships.
Clearly, they are not grieving Shraddha's death but using it as an attempt to restrict women's agency through religion.
In fact, some people are blaming Shraddha for her own death. Patriarchy is killing not one, but many "Shraddhas" every day.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), 23,178 housewives died of suicide in 2021 in India.
In order to build a better society, we must understand that while murderers should be punished, those who divert attention from real issues and give a communal angle to everything should also be stopped.
This hate needs to stop, especially because Shraddha's case has brought the sad realities of our society to the forefront.
Discussions and legal action on issues such as family, friendships, society, mental health, and women's safety, among other things, are imperative.
If such hate continues to be spewed, we ought to ask, Janab, Aise Kaise?
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