From national grief to internet hate: The story of Himanshi Narwal

She was the face of the Pahalgam tragedy. But when Himanshi Narwal spoke of peace, the applause turned into abuse.

Transcript

00:00From a widow the nation grieved with, to a woman the internet now abuses.

00:06Himanshi Narwal, sitting beside her deceased husband became the face of the

00:10Pahlgaam attack. Her Navy officer husband Vinay Narwal, among the 26 innocent lives

00:15lost at Bessaran Meadow. But that wave of empathy quickly turned into a flood of

00:19abuse, because Himanshi chose to speak out against communal hatred.

00:30Her appeal came on 1st May 2025, during a blood donation camp in Karnal, Haryana, held on Vinay's

00:35birth anniversary. Himanshi's words struck a chord with many, but enraged others. Many

00:46who had initially praised her composure in the Bessaran Meadow, now turned on her. Some

00:50claimed she was using the tragedy for publicity. Others went so far as to question whether she

00:55had a role in it. What follows was an avalanche of hate, steeped in misogyny, bigotry, and

00:59wild conspiracy theories. But amidst all this, there were voices of support, too.

01:04Lalita Ramdas, wife of the late Indian Navy Chief Admiral Lakshmi Narayan Ramdas and daughter

01:09of Admiral Ramdas Katari, wrote an open letter to Himanshi Narwal, calling her the perfect

01:14Fauji wife. Gurmehar Kaur, student activist and author whose father was killed by terrorists

01:19in Kashmir while serving the Indian Army, also voiced her support for Himanshi, calling

01:24her the face of grace and unimaginable strength. Eventually, the National Commission for Women

01:28stepped in, issuing a strong statement condemning the trolling.

01:31The commission acknowledged that while not everyone may agree with her views, targeting

01:35a grieving woman for expressing herself was unacceptable. Disagreement must stay within

01:40bounds of decency and the constitution, the statement said, adding that the nation was still

01:45hurt and angry about the Pahlgaam terror attack.

01:47People going against Muslims or Kashmiris, we don't want this. We want peace and only peace.