Former foreign secretary Nirupama Menon called the trolling of the senior diplomat "utterly shameful" and said it "crosses every line of decency"
New Delhi: Foreign secretary Vikram Misri, who faced severe trolling on the social media particularly after he read out a brief statement on Saturday evening that India and Pakistan had reached an understanding to halt military action, has received support from former diplomat Nirupama Menon Rao, a body of Indian diplomats and politicians such as AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) has also strongly condemned the trolling of Misri, his family and particularly, his daughter. The Delhi-based Association of Indian Diplomats issued a statement on Monday, describing the incident as “appalling and completely unacceptable”.
In the wake of the online trolling, there also seems to be some suspicion in many quarters of possible mischief from unknown X (formerly Twitter) handles and bots from across the border. There has been no official reaction yet from the external affairs ministry.
The trolling “is appalling and completely unacceptable. He is an outstanding professional with an impeccable record. Strict action needs to be taken against those responsible,” the body said.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav wrote a long post on X in Hindi and said such incidents break the morale of honest officers, who work day and night dedicated to the country. “It is the government’s responsibility to take decisions — not individual officers. Some anti-social criminal elements are openly crossing all limits of abusive language against the officer and his family, but neither the BJP government nor any of its ministers is coming forward to protect his honour and respect or discussing possible action against those who make such unwanted posts,” Yadav was quoted as saying.
Nirupama Rao, also a former foreign secretary and former ambassador to Washington, called the trolling of the senior diplomat “utterly shameful” and said it “crosses every line of decency”. “It is utterly shameful to troll foreign secretary Vikram Misri and his family over the India-Pakistan ceasefire announcement. A dedicated diplomat, Misri has served India with professionalism and resolve, and there is no ground whatsoever for his vilification. Doxxing his daughter and abusing his loved ones crosses every line of decency. This toxic hate must stop — stand united behind our diplomats, not tear them down,” she said in a post on X.
Owaisi came out in support of Misri. “Mr Vikram Misri is a decent, honest, hard-working diplomat working tirelessly for our nation. Our civil servants work under the executive this must be remembered and they shouldn’t be blamed for the decisions taken by the executive or any political leadership running Watan-e-Aziz,” he said in a post on X.
In a statement issued by NCW chair Vijaya Rahatkar on Monday, the panel denounced the sharing of the personal contact details of Ms Misri’s daughter on ythe social media, calling it a “grossly irresponsible act”. The NCW chief also stressed that personal attacks on the family members of senior civil servants like Misri are not only unacceptable but also morally indefensible. Calling for restraint and respect in both online and offline spaces, the NCW urged citizens to rise above such behaviour. “Let us choose dignity and responsible conduct,” she added.
The Left parties slammed the online trolls targeting Misri, with the CPM questioning the silence of the BJP-led government on the issue. In a post on X, the CPM shared an image quoting a report on Misri and his daughter being trolled online. “Why is the government silent? Shame on the trolls,” the CPM said.
In a post on X on Sunday, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas said, “If Parivar handles are unhappy about the ceasefire they should turn it on their leaders who misled with their hawkish postures!” The CPI claimed that the foreign secretary was being targeted for saying “terrorists want to divide India on communal lines, and people of India defeated that with unity”. “It’s clear who hates our unity and democracy,” the CPI said in a post on X.
CPI(M-L) Liberation general secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya said: “Why should the FS be trolled for a decision taken by the PM? Is it because he thanked the Indian people for foiling the communal design of the terrorists?”
Vaunted career
Vikram Misri is widely regarded as one of the most outstanding officers of the Indian Foreign Service (IFS).
Belonging to the 1989 batch, he had taken charge of his post on July 15 last year.
He was earlier the deputy national security adviser.
Misri has served as private secretary to three Prime Ministers: Inder Kumar Gujral, Manmohan Singh and Narendra Modi.
His tenure as ambassador in Beijing, from January 2019 to December 2021, was at a crucial time during the military standoff in the Ladakh sector at the Line of Actual Control in 2020 between Indian and Chinese troops.
He is learnt to have played a major role in keeping communication channels open with China despite the military tensions at that time, when the deadly Galwan Valley clash took place in mid-June 2020.
He was earlier appointed India’s ambassador to Spain in 2014, ambassador to Myanmar in 2016.
Misri has also been posted in other capitals like Brussels, Tunis, Islamabad and Washington DC. He was also India’s deputy high commissioner in Sri Lanka and consul-general in Munich.
