A journalist with India’s leading daily Shrishti Jaswal has invited legal trouble for her views on the Hindu god Lord Krishna after her tweet with inflammatory comments went viral on social media.
Gautam Aggarwal, formerly affiliated with the governing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), has filed a complaint against Jaswal for her “derogatory and defamatory” tweet against Lord Krishna. He stated in his complaint that she is associated with one of the country’s leading media houses, Hindustan Times, therefore, her social media posts can influence Indians and an international audience.
Jaswal was addressing the film "Krishna and His Leela" when she said in her tweet: “Because this is what Krishna did. He was a womanizer, a f***boi, and commitment-phobic maniac. And I am a Hindu and I’ve read mythology”.
The tweet led to an instant backlash on social media, with many people condemning the media house for hiring her.
Following the barrage of criticism, Hindustan Times announced that it has suspended the reporter, and a code of conduct committee has been set up to look into the matter. The media house also disassociated from the reporter’s views.
Hindustan Times does not endorse Srishti Jaswal’s comments which were made on her personal Twitter handle and in her personal capacity. She has been suspended from duties with immediate effect and a code of conduct committee has been set up to look into the matter.
— Hindustan Times (@HindustanTimes) July 2, 2020
An avalanche of reactions hit Twitter following the controversy. While several users blasted the journalist, calling her “Hinduphobic” for insulting the god, others demanded strict action against her.
SRISHTI JASWAL SCRIBE WORKS WITH HINDUSTAN TIMES RIGHT ???
— hanji 🇮🇳 (@el_hanji) July 2, 2020
SACK HER IMMEDIATELY.
SHE INSULTS HINDU RELIGION, DEITIES, HURT SENTIMENTS OF HINDUS THEN OFFER STUPID EXCUSE ???@UnSubtleDesi @Rajput_Ramesh @Swamy39 @TimesNow @republic @RubikaLiyaquat @aajtak pic.twitter.com/k4ts6qs3Hc
Sack Srishti Jaswal! Or face the wrath of Indian Nationalists! How dare she Utter such Words against Shri Krishna?!
— Medhansh Moksha Malhotra (@MedhanshMoksha) July 2, 2020
Others targeted Netflix India for the film "Krishna and His Leela" as the hashtag #BoycottNetflix gained momentum for releasing the film that showed the Hindu religion in a bad light.
@NetflixIndia has been torch bearer for Hindu hate and Indian identity for a while. Please remember @NetflixIndia that those who do not learn their lessons themselves, nature forces them to evolve.
— Mari (@Mari13233244) July 2, 2020
Stop insulting 1B + Hindus worldwide by giving your platform. Hate is hate.
Netflix film named “Krishna & His Leela” has shown a man named Krishna as a womanizer who sleeps with multiple women. One of the girls he had an affair with was named Radha in the series.
— Anshul Saxena (@AskAnshul) July 2, 2020
And, This is the tweet of Srishti Jaswal from Hindustan Times (HT).
HT now suspended her. pic.twitter.com/Xy8JZc3W18
The Hindu god Krishna is revered across the world with over 850 temples in numerous countries, established under the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), known as the Hare Krishna movement.
