New Delhi: Top associations of IAS and IPS officers, Opposition leaders, former diplomats as well as journalists have come out in strong support of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri after he was relentlessly targeted by the extreme right-wing over his Saturday announcement of a ceasefire with Pakistan.
A day after the announcement, Misri—who has been the government’s primary messenger throughout the India-Pakistan tensions and Operation Sindoor—became the target of online trolls. Unhappy about the ceasefire, which they see as the Indian government’s “cowardice”, they called him “spineless”, a “traitor” and a “national shame”, even viciously attacking his daughter. On Sunday, the foreign secretary changed the status of his X account from public to protected.
The 1989-batch IFS officer has been the face of the Indian side in the ongoing India-Pakistan tensions since 7 May, when India launched precision air strikes on nine terror hubs in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). He has been communicating the developments of Operation Sindoor and Pakistan’s shelling and drone activity to the Indian public and the international community day after day.
He was once again at the forefront Saturday when the Indian government announced the ceasefire ‘understanding’ with Pakistan.
As the trolling continued unabated for hours, soon, a large number of people including politicians, former diplomats and journalists came to Misri’s defence, pointing out that in Indian democracy, it is the political executive that takes the call.
“Mr Vikram Misri is a decent and honest, hard-working diplomat working tirelessly for our nation. Our civil servants work under the Executive, this must be remembered and they shouldn’t be blamed for the decisions taken by the Executive or any political leadership running Watan E Aziz,” posted AlMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi on X.
Mr Vikram Misri is a decent and an Honest Hard working Diplomat working tirelessly for our Nation.
Our Civil Servants work under the Executive this must be remembered & they shouldn’t be blamed for the decisions taken by The Executive /or any Political leadership running Watan E… https://t.co/yfM3ygfiyt
— Asaduddin Owaisi (@asadowaisi) May 11, 2025
Congress leader Sachin Pilot too posted on social media: “I condemn the social media trolling directed at [the] family of Foreign Secretary @VikramMisri. It’s unacceptable to target our professional diplomats and civil servants — those who work dedicatedly to serve the nation.”
The IAS (Central) Association wrote: “The IAS Association stands in solidarity with Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary, & his family. Unwarranted personal attacks on civil servants performing their duties with integrity are deeply regrettable. We reaffirm our commitment to uphold the dignity of public service.”
The IAS Association stands in solidarity with Shri Vikram Misri, Foreign Secretary, & his family.
Unwarranted personal attacks on civil servants performing their duties with integrity are deeply regrettable.
We reaffirm our commitment to uphold the dignity of public service. pic.twitter.com/qahtRLfCLF
— IAS Association (@IASassociation) May 11, 2025
The IPS (Central) Association too posted on X that it “unequivocally condemns the deplorable personal attacks” on Misri and his family.
— IPS Association (@IPS_Association) May 11, 2025
Former diplomats like Nirupama Rao and Navdeep Puri too came out in Misri’s support.
In addition to the foreign secretary, his daughter Didon Misri, a law graduate, was vitriolically targeted for “providing legal assistance to Rohingya Muslims in India”. A short professional bio of his daughter which mentions that she has worked extensively with international human rights organisations, including the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in Myanmar, is being shared widely on X.
She worked to “provide legal assistance to Rohingya refugees at IDP camps in Rakhine State and Sittwe”, the bio reads.
Vikram Misri holds the rare distinction of serving as private secretary to three prime ministers—I. K. Gujral, Manmohan Singh, and Narendra Modi.
Before becoming foreign secretary, he served as one of the country’s deputy National Security Advisers (2022-2024), and was also India’s ambassador to China (2019-2021), playing a crucial role in maintaining a channel of communication with the Chinese government through the 2020-2021 Indo-China skirmishes.
Known as a “China expert,” early in his career, he served on the Pakistan desk of the Ministry of External Affairs.
Targeting his daughter
An X user posted an old report written by Misri’s daughter for The Wire in 2016. “Wow just wow. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri whose PC we are seeing everyday his daughter Didon Misri writes for “The Wire”. Is a member of Oxford Human Rights Hub and has done bachelors from Jindal Global Law School. Also supports Rohingya.” the user posted.
A 2015 post by Misri with a picture of his wife and daughter, which he had posted as part of Modi’s #SelfiewithDaughter campaign, particularly came under intense trolling, with extreme right-wing handles asking for a “probe” on why his daughter wants Rohingyas to settle in India.
Misri also came under attack for repeatedly underscoring that the attack in Pahalgam sought to create communal tensions in India, an assertion opposed by many extreme right-wing accounts, which have of late been accusing the Modi government of not standing up for Hindus and “appeasement” of Muslims.
Many of them said they wondered why officers like Misri have not been removed by the Modi government.
In a tweet, which got more than 1.7 thousand shares, a user said that “Vikram Misri has to be made the next Sujata Singh”. Singh, a former foreign secretary, was abruptly removed by the Modi government in 2015 seven months before her tenure was over.
The target for a larger outrage
While Misri has been the frontal target, a large section of users on social media have been expressing their deep anguish with the government in general over the ceasefire, which they see as a sign of bowing down in front of Pakistan.
Users have also attacked External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar.
But the barrage of trolling being faced by the foreign secretary and the foreign minister, is however, only the most recent instance of the BJP and the Modi government facing an onslaught of criticism from the extreme right-wing ecosystem on social media.
As reported by ThePrint last week in a two-part series called ‘Indian Alt-Right’s MAGA Moment’, in recent years, a loud online ecosystem, which has moved to the Far-Right, has developed. For them, the BJP and the RSS are cowardly secularists, undeserving of the Hindu community’s faith. Read Part 1 and 2 here.
On X alone, there are dozens of such handles, which claim allegiance to Hindutva ideology, but are bitter, unforgiving critics of the Modi government, BJP, and its ideological mentor, the RSS.
The ceasefire with Pakistan has become the most recent example of the Modi government’s “cowardice” for this section.
An X user, whose bio reads “Brahmin” and “GC (General Caste) Hindu,” tweeted an animated picture of Modi dressed as a waiter serving US President Donald Trump and Saudi king, Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.
“A waiter who only takes orders. He is an international embarrassment for Hindus,” the post said.
A WhatsApp survey by the RSS-affiliated magazine Panchjanya revealed that while over 700 people supported the ceasefire, over 4,600 were opposed to it.
The right-wing ecosystem has been flooded with messages and photographs pictorially showing the ceasefire as shaking hands with a snake.
Several have also sought to highlight the “doublespeak” of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), sharing screenshots of the party’s X handle, which Friday said that the Modi government has “no patience for futile peace talks,” and Saturday said that “India reaffirms its commitment to peace”.
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
Also read: Pakistan violated agreement to pause hostilities, armed forces given free hand, says Misri
Such a daughter is an embarrassment for the entire family. Mr. Vikram Misri is unfortunate in the extreme to have been “blessed” with such children. Ms. Didon Misri has tarnished the image and reputation her father had built up painstakingly over several decades through dedicated service to the nation.
IAS/IFS/IPS officers are usually busybodies who hardly have much time for their family or children. At times, this results in the “apple falling far from the tree”.
It pains to see Mr. Misri being targeted by Right wing trolls for the shameful deeds of his daughter.
If Mr. Misri’s daughter is indeed fighting court cases on behalf of illegal Rohingya immigrants than it is shameful indeed.
However, it’s not Mr. Misri’s fault. He should not be abused for the misdeeds of his daughter.
Guess the daughter must be a bleeding heart liberal educated at some Left-leaning college/university who thinks Indi is a “dharamshala” where anyone can just walk in and demand to stay and eventually become a citizen. Unfortunately, that seems to be the case with the children of most IAS/IFS/IAS officers. They educate their wards at Sanskriti School or Jesus and Mary’s Convent and these idiots graduate with all kinds of stupid ideas in their head. Eventually they end up being a part of the Aman ka Tamasha gang.
One cannot but feel sorry for Mr. Vikram Misri. The unworthy daughter has brought disrepute and ignominy to him.