Opinion: The disgrace of trolling Vikram Misri

India Today

12-05-2025

An official carries out his duty, a policy decision is announced, and a digital lynch mob descends. This time, the target was Vikram Misri, India's Foreign Secretary, a man who has served the nation with distinction for over three decades. His crime? Announcing a 'mutual understanding' to stop fire or the ceasefire. Not deciding policy. Not negotiating a treaty. Simply doing his job—communicating the government's stance. And for this, Misri was subjected to one of the most disgraceful waves of online vitriol India has seen in recent memory. Trolled, doxxed, his family targeted, his personal dignity shredded—all for carrying out a professional responsibility.advertisement
Misri's credentials speak for themselves. From handling the Doklam crisis in Beijing, to steering diplomacy during Myanmar's military coup, to shaping national security policy as Deputy NSA—his record is impeccable. Fluent in multiple languages, respected in global diplomatic circles, Misri is the embodiment of civil service downright. That such a man could be so viciously attacked is a national shame.What unfolded after the ceasefire announcement was not legitimate dissent or policy criticism—it was a witch-hunt. Misri was labelled a 'traitor' and a 'deshdrohi,' accused of selling the nation short, even as it remained clear to anyone with a basic understanding of governance that he was not the decision-maker. The attacks quickly devolved from misinformed outrage into pure malice, targeting not just Misri, but his family. His daughter was doxxed, misogynistic abuse was hurled at her, and what began as national debate collapsed into personal cruelty.advertisementIt was a decision taken by a political collective in national interest. While opposition leaders, retired diplomats, and civil society—stepped in to support Misri, we are yet to see an official word from the government to counter the poison being spread online against Misri and his family.This is not just about Vikram Misri. It's about every civil servant who may one day find themselves caught in the crosshairs of populist fury. It's about the line between disagreement and defamation, between public accountability and personal destruction. When a bureaucrat becomes a scapegoat for decisions made in political offices, something fundamental is broken.Leaders like Asaduddin Owaisi, Shashi Tharoor, and Akhilesh Yadav spoke out. Former Foreign Secretary Nirupama Menon Rao condemned the attacks. Associations representing IAS and IPS officers voiced support.In a time when digital mobs can ruin reputations overnight, letting online hate fester, unchallenged and unanswered, is to tell a civil servant: you are on your own.This is a dangerous precedent. The bureaucracy is meant to be neutral, professional, and protected from political intimidation. Government servants should be defended and protected. In fact, in all this, Vikram Misri did not flinch. He did not issue public rebuttals or stoke drama. He simply locked his account on X—a quiet act of retreat, but one that speaks volumes about the cost of undeserved abuse.advertisementIndia owes its civil servants better. We owe them clarity, dignity, and, above all, protection when they come under unfair attack. If we cannot guarantee that, we risk hollowing out the very institutions that keep the country running—silently, competently, and without fanfare.It's time to draw a line. Public discourse can be passionate, even fierce—but it cannot descend into mob justice, or in this case online lynching. Leadership, must mean standing up not only when it's convenient, but when it truly matters.