New Delhi: Aashna Lidder, daughter of Brigadier Lakhbinder Singh Lidder, who died in the 8 December IAF helicopter crash that also killed CDS General Bipin Rawat, returned to social media Friday after a brief hiatus. The 16-year-old had deactivated her account in the days following her father’s death, reportedly after facing online harassment.
In a tweet Saturday, Aashna said she had “de-activated my twitter on my own, to spend time with family and away from any distraction”.
Gratitude surges through me as I thank the nation for mourning the loss of my father with us… The biggest consolation I have is it, isn't my loss alone, it's our loss.
Had de-activated my twitter on my own, to spend time with family and away from any distraction.— Aashna Lidder (@AashnaLidder) December 17, 2021
Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi was among those who posted messages of support for Aashna, with many users sharing their own stories of loss.
Wish you strength&courage! Shine on. Happy to see you back on Twitter..!
— Priyanka Chaturvedi?? (@priyankac19) December 18, 2021
I lost my mamu, captain Arjun sardana in a chopper crash on 2004. It went missing for a couple of days. When they were found, the bodies were beyond recognition. It hurts every single day, and nothing changes that.
— Tanya (@fizoolkharcha) December 18, 2021
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‘Woke, fearless, military brat’
A Class 12 student and author of a book titled In Search of a Title: Musings of a Teenager, Aashna was trolled on social media for alleged old posts with political references.
A now-deleted account of a user by the name of @kashyap_1407 had pulled up one of her old tweets criticising UP CM Yogi Adityanath. Although the account no longer exists, others shared screenshots of Kashyap’s tweet.
After she deactivated her account, support poured in for the teenager from several Twitter users. Indian Youth Congress National President Srinivas B.V. accused “BJP trolls” of “forcing” her to delete her account.
We live in two Indias,
One where 17yo brave Aashna Lidder D/o Brigadier Lidder is forced to delete her Twitter account, termed Anti National by BJP trolls for her Anti-BJP views.
Another, where such trolls are called Nationalists by the ruling régime.pic.twitter.com/JfcPSguRtE
— Srinivas BV (@srinivasiyc) December 10, 2021
This is Aashna Lidder.
Woke. Opinionated. Fearless.
No wonder they fear her.
I am proud of her. You should be too. pic.twitter.com/ZR4uJSEPiM— Kaveri ?? (@ikaveri) December 10, 2021
Taking a swipe at the various responses she received online, Aashna’s Twitter bio now reads: “It’s either, politically unaware opinionated teen or funny sarcastic girl; there’s no in between.”
(Edited by Poulomi Banerjee)
Also read: With Gen Bipin Rawat gone, here is why it is critical for Modi to select the right CDS