Journalist Shiv Aroor has been at the receiving end of a relentless online attack over an India Today report on actor Richa Chadha’s Galwan jibe against the Indian Army.
The anchor recently took to Twitter to share screenshots of Twitter DMs he has been receiving ever since he anchored a show on the India Today channel that featured publicly available bikini pictures of Richa Chadha for her unseemly comment against the Indian Army soldiers.
“About 400 of these in my DM since morning, at the same time,” tweeted Aroor in his characteristically unruffled manner with the screenshot of an abusive message sent to him by a seemingly Congress supporter.
About 400 of these in my DMs this morning, at the same time 🤡♥️ pic.twitter.com/AfAWv4hD0l
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) November 28, 2022
In another tweet, he shared a screenshot of a Twitter user named Nitin Meena with a picture of Rahul Gandhi as his profile picture. Nitin had sent misogynistic abuses and obscene messages to the India Today journalist.
Kind words thanks, @nitinmeena148 ♥️ pic.twitter.com/bkOpFk5zzA
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) November 28, 2022
Earlier yesterday, Aroor took to Twitter to tweet “Toolkitiyas” in an apparent reference to the outrage that swept the microblogging website following India Today’s coverage of the Richa Chadha controversy.
Toolkitiyas.
— Shiv Aroor (@ShivAroor) November 27, 2022
The online attack against Shiv Aroor erupted after those belonging to the left-liberal intelligentsia, including Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair, who had earlier this year attracted the wrath of Islamists after sharing a cropped video of Nupur Sharma, took to Twitter to target the journalist and India Today for featuring freely available bikini pictures of Richa Chadha in their reportage.
So @IndiaToday be like, let’s search Richa Chadha’s pics on Google with a keyword “Richa Chadha in Bikini” and use those pics, We’ll get a lot of views to our ‘News’. pic.twitter.com/c29OhF6bnM
— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) November 27, 2022
Soon thereafter, many left-leaning liberals who were desperately searching for an opportunity to portray Chadha as a victim pounced on the chance to attack India Today and Shiv Aroor for using the actor’s bikini pictures in their show.
Pathetic and sick way of portraying anyone! Shows the sick mind of the anchor. https://t.co/QXvVKDlW0p
— Sayema (@_sayema) November 27, 2022
Mr.Aroor, did the team not get any other pictures of @RichaChadha? What was point of choosing some very specific photos and streaming it on the national television? Did you take her permission?She is a public figure, did your network seek permission before using bikini pictures? https://t.co/FgY3pwO1Lm
— Samriddhi K Sakunia (@Samriddhi0809) November 27, 2022
Not so dear @IndiaToday
— Sakshi Joshi (@sakshijoshii) November 27, 2022
SHAME ON YOU 🤮 stay strong @RichaChadha #RichaChadha
For the self-described liberals, who sanctimoniously sermonise on how individuals are free to wear what they want and how one’s attire is not an indicator of their character, the usage of Richa Chadha’s bikini images was beyond the pale as it sought to “objectify” the actor, even though none of them outraged when Chadha or any other actor for that matter, as a professional, shoot such pictures for public consumption.
How outrage against Shiv Aroor by liberals is an attempt to gaslight users and deflect attention from Richa Chadha’s Galwan jibe
The pictures for which liberals felt scandalised were shot years ago and were done with the explicit approval of actor Richa Chadha. In fact, they had remained in the public domain for years and yet, none of the professional outragers outraging now objected when media organisations or social media users used them. Through the outrage over bikini pictures, the ‘liberals’ projected their own conservative and narrow mindset, revealing their inherently patriarchal and patronising demeanour toward women.
However, as the India Today channel drew on the public repository of Chadha’s images and included some of her pictures in skimpy dresses in their reportage, the ‘liberals’ saw an opportunity to gaslight their followers and push the limelight away from the actor. Of all the things that were discussed about Richa Chadha’s tweet on Galwan, Mohammed Zubair and his ilk fretting over her swimming pool pictures betrayed their callous indifference towards the Galwan Bravehearts, who lost their lives fighting against the Chinese PLA Army but not before taking down about 40 enemy soldiers. Instead, they attacked Shiv Aroor and the India Today channel and diverted attention from Chadha’s disparaging remarks against the Galwan Bravehearts.
Even so, this was not the first attempt that the liberal ecosystem had rallied in support of the actor and sought to sweep her Galwan jibe under the carpet. While they displayed eager alacrity in criticising those who called out Chadha’s remarks, they had remained uncharacteristically muted when the controversy erupted. Hours later, as social media seethed in anger over the actor’s comments, the liberal coterie tried to dress them up as remarks against the Modi government, even though she made the jibe while quoting a serving Indian Army official.
Earlier last week, when Akshay Kumar stood up in support of the Indian Army, the entire liberal ecosystem, which was till then in a defensive mode, went into overdrive to project Chadha as a victim and attack Kumar with ‘Canadian’ jibes, although they had enthusiastically embraced unsolicited and uninformed comments made by foreigners, including popstar Rihanna, former porn star Mia Khalifa, Canada PM Justin Trudeau, and others over the farmers’ protests.
Richa Chadha mocks Galwan Bravehearts
Bollywood actress Richa Chadha took to Twitter on Wednesday, 23rd November 2022, to mock the Indian Army. In response to a statement from the Commanding-in-Chief, Northern Command of the Indian Army that they are prepared to take back Pakistan-occupied Kashmir if the government issues such an order, Richa Chadha mocked the Indian Army with a Galwan taunt.
After Chadha was called out by netizens for the ‘Galwan’ jibe at the Indian Army, she issued a half-hearted apology on Twitter today. Richa Chadha took to Twitter to tender her ‘apology’, she tagged her lawyer Saveena Bedi Sachar and attached an apology message. “If the 3 words which are being dragged into controversy have offended or hurt anyone, I apologise and also say that it would sadden me if even unintentionally my words have triggered this feeling in my brothers in the Fauj of which my own Nanaji has been an illustrious part.”
Before tweeting the ‘apology’, Chadha did not leave the opportunity to play the victim as well. She, in a tweet, posted this morning claimed to have received a ‘call’. “Just received a ‘call’, had muted replies so had no idea… bye all,” Richa Chadha tweeted with the reply feature disabled.
