Shocking. When The Internet Doesn't Spare Even Those Grieving...

Reports of Aashna Lidder being trolled on the internet have surfaced, even as the teen girl mourns the death of her father Brigadier LS Lidder in the Coonoor crash that claimed the lives of several men in uniform. In what should make us question ethical and moral boundaries, the girl has reportedly closed down her Twitter account in the wake of bullies coming her way. Does her grief, or anyone's for that matter, be deserved to be mocked so brutally?

As per reports, some old tweets of young Lidder were dug up for hostile social media users to dub her "woke", "opinionated," "leftist." Though the veracity of the claims of Lidder being trolled have been questioned, screenshots that show her being attacked are doing rounds online, with many users condemning the hate she is being subjected to.

One of these screenshots in question, as flagged by a Congress member on Twitter, purportedly has Lidder questioning Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's remarks for Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, when she was held in custody during the Lakhimpur violence this year in October.

"...it is absolutely cheap and not ok to say things like 'she's only capable of sweeping floor'... Yogi, clear the turmoil in UP first," read the tweet attributed to Lidder.

Suggested Reading: Who Is Aashna Lidder: Daughter Of Brigadier LS Lidder Deletes Twitter Account?

Lidder is the daughter of Brigadier LS Lidder, who was one of the 13 people to lose their lives in the tragic chopper accident in Tamil Nadu on December 8, which also killed India's Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat. The girl's tribute to her father as her "best friend" roused emotions nationally, moving so many people to tears, as she bade him farewell during his last rites in the national capital.

One would think that such a tragedy would have sobered up inflammatory, divisive speech on social media. But the somber moment that should have made the country cohesive in its grief, if even for a brief period, has rather quickly fallen prey to hatred. There have also been reports of General Rawat's death allegedly being cheered by some online.

Suggested Reading: Let Us Salute Wives, Daughters Of Coonoor Bravehearts For Their Courage And Grace

The situation begs one to question whether social media, with its communal-stoking, discord-creating capabilities, is actually planting insensitivity in people or watering their deep-seated biases so greater hate is generated. Has it allowed ourselves to come to a point in humanity where deaths are celebrated and young girls who lost their parents have to pass arbitrary tests of 'nationalism' to prove themselves worthy of grieving in peace?

What permits people to feel entitled to give a soldier's daughter lessons in what patriotism means, without the acknowledgment that she has grown up with the ideals of what commitment to the nation looks like before her eyes?

Whether or not Lidder withdrew her Twitter account due to trolling is not known and may only become clear if or when she makes a reappearance or issues a statement. But this is not the first time that cyberbullying has manifested into real-life consequences and definitely won't be the last.

Will this unsettling knowledge motivate social media users to practice caution and emotion before putting their fingers to the keyboard?

Views expressed are the author's own.