New Delhi: The outpouring of support for Himanshi Narwal soon turned into hate on social media after she asked people not to target Muslims and Kashmiris. It is to be noted that sitting in stoic silence beside the body of her Navy officer husband, killed in the Pahalgam terror attack, she became the face of the tragedy.
In a strongly worded statement, the women’s panel asserted that it was wrong to troll a woman based on her ideological expression or personal life. “After the death of Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, the way his wife Himanshi Narwal is being criticised on social media in relation to one of her statements is unfortunate and condemnable,” the NCW statement posted on X said.
The NCW said disagreement must always be expressed with decency and within constitutional limits even though it admitted that her remarks might not have resonated with many people. “Targeting a woman for her ideological expression or personal life in such a manner is completely unacceptable,” the NCW said even as it underlined that the country was “hurt and angry” by the heinous act in Pahalgam.
Despite being in grief, Himanshi emphasised that people should not target Muslims and Kashmiris for the Pahalgam attack, which left 26 dead. “We don’t want people going after Muslims and Kashmiris. We want peace and justice. People who have done wrong with him should be punished,” Himanshi, who was married just six days before the attack, said.
While one user claimed she was using the incident as an opportunity to “climb the social and political ladder”, another asked “what changed her mind”. “She should have been shot,” another user commented. Some even pointed out how she could look so “stable” in videos following the attack, saying “she never seemed shocked”.
However, Himanshi received support from All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Asaduddin Owaisi and thousands of others on social media. “They (terrorists) devastated our daughter’s (Himanshi’s) life, and yet, even in her grief, she expressed that she does not wish for this tragedy to create hatred towards Muslims or Kashmiris in our country. I hope the government remembers her words.