The microblogging site Twitter on Thursday suspended the account of known hatemonger Jagrati Shukla after she called for genocide of Kashmiri Muslims. Shukla, who works for the government-owned Lok Sabha TV as an anchor, had come under widespread condemnation after she express her joy on injuries sustained by Kashmiri civilians by pellets fire by Indian security forces.
Separatist Kashmiri leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq had earlier posted a few photos of injured Kashmiris. His tweet had read, “Govt forces went berserk in Qaimoh village of Kulgam, south Kashmir, fire pellets indiscriminately at protestors injuring many, hitting eyes and other vital organs.!”
Responding to Farooq’s tweet, Shukla had joyously written, “WOW that’s so cool. Would have preferred real bullets instead of pellets; results would have been much better.”
This tweet had caused widespread furore on social media as journalists and activists asked Twitter to ban her account. Responding to outrage on Twitter and written complaints, Twitter on Thursday announced that Shukla’s account had been suspended.
This is not the first time Shukla, known for vitriol and bigotry, has found herself at the centre of incessant condemnation. She had earned notoriety for expressing her joy at the gruesome murder of journalist Gauri Lankesh last year. Lok Sabha TV had come under fire for employing her despite her notorious past as someone who frequently spewed venom against India’s religious minorities particularly Muslims.
She had also once justified the massacre of Sikhs in 1984 in the immediate aftermath of the assassination of the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. She had written, “Sikhs deserved that. What do you expect when you breed hate? They killed Hindus for nothing. Although I don’t support genocide.”