Widow of Indian navy officer faces online abuse for opposing anti-Muslim hate

Newlywed wife of slain soldier calls for peace after Kashmir attack, faces wave of abuse from Hindu nationalists

NEW DELHI, India (MNTV) — A young Indian woman whose husband was killed in a deadly attack in Indian-administered Kashmir is facing a wave of misogynistic and communal abuse from Hindu right-wing trolls after she called for peace and urged Indians not to target Muslims and Kashmiris.

Himanshi Narwal, the newlywed wife of Lieutenant Vinay Narwal of the Indian Navy, had accompanied her husband to Pahalgam for their honeymoon when he was shot dead at point-blank range by gunmen on April 22 in the Baisaran meadow.

She became the face of the dastardly attack when her heart-wrenching image, mourning over her husband’s lifeless body in the idyllic Baisaran meadow near Pahalgam, stirred even the most stoic hearts.

Just eight days earlier, the couple had tied the knot and arrived in South Kashmir for their honeymoon — a dream journey cruelly cut short by violence.

Speaking publicly a week after his cremation, Himanshi said her husband would have wanted justice—not hatred. 

“We don’t want people to go after Muslims and Kashmiris. We want peace and only peace. Of course, we want justice. The people who have wronged him should be punished,” she said.

Her statement, delivered at a blood donation drive held in his memory, came amid a string of violent reprisals across India, where Kashmiri students and Muslim communities have reported harassment and assault in the wake of the Pahalgam attack.

Instead of compassion, Himanshi’s appeal was met with a vicious online campaign led by Hindu nationalist influencers and supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling BJP, accusing her of being unpatriotic, characterless, and even complicit in her husband’s death.

The abuse wasn’t limited to anonymous trolls. 

Among those attacking her were right-wing influencers, including a former Indian Air Force officer, now a prominent supporter of Modi’s Hindutva narrative. 

He and others mocked her call for communal harmony, smeared her character, and amplified conspiracy theories aimed at delegitimizing her grief.

One user wrote: “She should have been shot too.” 

Another called her a “case study in Hindu Stockholm Syndrome,” suggesting she had mentally aligned herself with the enemy. 

A particularly hateful comment said, “Her husband’s pants were pulled down to check if he was Hindu. He was shot in front of her. Now she wants people not to target Muslims?”

Critics even targeted her emotional strength in public, questioning how she appeared “too stable” in videos and interviews. 

“Is that how a person behaves when their husband is killed before their eyes?” one post read.

Despite the avalanche of online abuse, Himanshi has stood firm.

Speaking to ThePrint, she said, “I don’t look at these things on social media but I am aware of what has happened. I know what I said and why I said it. I don’t want innocent lives to be impacted by this—whether Hindus or Muslims. They didn’t do this. Of course, we want those responsible to be punished.”

The National Commission for Women (NCW) condemned the trolling, calling it “extremely reprehensible and unfortunate.” 

In a statement, the NCW urged for discourse to remain respectful, even in disagreement.

The incident has sparked broader conversations about the shrinking space for peace advocacy in India’s hyper-polarized online discourse—particularly when it challenges nationalist narratives. 

While many across the country have praised Himanshi’s courage and grace, her experience reflects a growing pattern of digital intimidation against voices calling for communal unity.