Lutyens Insiders: Be Damned you Anonymous Abusive Trolls

A journalist decided she had enough of being abused on Twitter by anonymous trolls.

Representational image. (Photo: iStock)

Having actually lived in Lutyens Delhi for 20 years, these nasty troll stars taking on Twitter bothers me.

They are nasty, feral and think lies and abuse are weapons. They hunt in anon like hyena packs. After repeatedly being harassed in the most disgusting sexist way, I have had enough.

When the abuse started, I actually laughed, surprised at the fact that any sane person would believe this garbage. After all I had my 20-year-old professional track record. But No! The lemmings just swarmed!

Most journalists on Twitter think that trolls are an occupational hazard. They dutifully reply, LOL and then finally block. But why should we put up with it? Pretend it does not matter! It matters to me. I am not very thick-skinned and my reputation is my most precious asset. So after tossing and turning all night, I decided that I will do, what we as the media, keep prescribing to others — take action.

While the anon abuse left me hurt, the overwhelming support I received after filing an FIR against a pernicious offender left me in tears. It seemed like the flood-gates had opened. The number of calls and Direct Messages on Twitter was overwhelming. It seemed that somebody just had to bell the cat.

It’s sad that people will attack you with vicious lies for having an opinion that does not confirm to their party lines. It’s sad that I have been trolled with derogatory pictures and videos. All this because I have an opinion and I pull no punches in expressing them?

I am a journalist not a cheerleader.

I have been threatened with being raped, having my “head knocked in” and of course the de rigueur “presstitutes” and “news trader”. What kind of coarse discourse is this? Who do we blame? A political culture which encourages media bashing? A party that takes pride in unleashing paid trolls on SM, which abuses according to a “code” and glory in anon handles.

This is a test case for both the police and Twitter. A friend and a well known anchor told me that she was bullied off the platform and said that she took pride in my ‘troll-taking-on’ abilities.

But, the trolls are taking a toll. We need to take back SM from the filth who have turned it in to a different kind of “S&M.”

(Swati Chaturvedi is a Delhi-based senior journalist.)