TMC slams Centre for ‘inflicting’ abuse on wife of Navy officer died in Pahalgam

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress on Monday slammed the Centre for inflicting “State-sponsored” abuse upon the wife of the Navy officer who died in Pahalgam.

The ruling party in Bengal came out strongly in support of Himanshi Narwal, widow of Navy officer Lieutenant Vinay Narwal, who was killed in the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.

After speaking out against the communal backlash in the aftermath of the attack, Narwal gained national attention and has since faced a torrent of online abuse. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Saket Gokhale called the harassment “state-sponsored,” accusing the Modi government of enabling the abuse to further a communal agenda.

“Make no mistake: the obscene harassment of Ms Narwal is STATE-SPONSORED with active backing & support of the Modi govt. The reason: Instead of bringing the terrorists to justice, BJP has wanted to use the Pahalgam attack for inciting communal violence in India. And the brave statement & appeal for harmony given by Himanshi Narwal has destroyed their dirty agenda and, hence, she has become a target,” he wrote on X, adding that the silence of the Union government machinery indicates “clear and tacit support” for the vitriol targeting her. Gokhale also criticised IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for failing to act against the offensive posts despite his track record of blocking accounts critical of the government. He also questioned the inaction of the National Commission for Women (NCW), pointing out the body’s selective outrage.

“NCW Chief @VijayaRahatkar runs to Bengal at the drop of a hat with “delegations” at the slightest instance. Why hasn’t NCW ordered an FIR to be filed against these tweets?” Gokhale posted on X.