Page 29 - Tehelka Issue 13 - July 15, 2018

twiplomacy

Vikas Mishra in his defense main- Hindu girl, Pooja Singh, a management am a Hindu too. Kindly assign Mr Shoaib
tained that all he had told Tanvi Seth professional, seeking assistance to fix for all my future customer care requests!
was to get her nikahnama name Sadia her Airtel Digital TV network allegedly Also, please refer Ms @pooja303singh
Anas endorsed on her passport, which blatantly told the technician who re- case to a qualified psychiatrist. She
she refused to do. But within hours, not sponded to her complaint and gave his needs a different brain, not a different
only was the officer transferred and an name as Shoaib that as he was a Muslim representative.”
enquiry instituted, but the regional pass- she did not trust him and that she should Seems the former J&K Chief Minis-
port officer called the couple to the pass- be provided with a Hindu executive who ter, Omar Abdullah, adopted a practical
port office in Gomtinagar, and with the can resolve her complaint. Seems the and impactful way. He declared that he
media camera flashlights all around and private telecom player heeded to her de- would immediately change his mobile
a milieu of journalists waiting to record mand and replaced Shoaib with Gaganjot operator without delay.
this significant moment, handed over the Singh, a Sikh, to address her complaint. But while Omar has made his inten-
passports to the smiling couple. Pooja’s preference for customer reso- tion very clear and public, there may be
But such was not the fate meted out to lution team members on the basis of reli- many who will not be so vocal but will do
the ‘victim’ by private telecom company gion has drawn a lot of flak on social me- as he did. Airtel may not even know but
Airtel. Shoaib, who for no fault of his had dia. Her tweets generated a lot of furore one tweet by one Pooja may have cost
to suffer the ‘religious bias’ at the hands on the social media after they went viral. them the loss of huge business. While re-
of a customer just because his name was She was subjected to a lot of criticism and ligious intolerance is growing and many
Shoaib and he was a Muslim. This case ridiculed and poked for her attitude and youths are talking a language of bigotry
crosses all barriers of logic and decorum mindset. She was mocked and told that that has not been spoken out so blatantly,
and leaves a lot to be said for the mindset even if she supported the Hindutva par- at least not in Lucknow, which has a fab-
of people and the desire of private com- ties like the BJP or believed in RSS ideol- ric of social harmony and respect for in-
panies not to ruffle feathers. ogy she had no right to discriminate on terfaith alliances. But such violent, vocal
Just a few months back, another case religious grounds. outburst of hatred and distrust are sure
of religious intolerance had come to light In a tone derived from the Shahrukh to have retaliation. This is what is termed
in the City of Nawabs. A Lucknow-based Khan’s popular dialogue was a tweet, “I ‘moment of truth.’ It is a reaction to this
outburst which will have ‘momentous
impact.’ And many times the one who
does this is blissfully unaware of the huge
Is it a case of ‘All’s well that psychological as well as financial loss his
outburst can cost not just to an individu-
ends well’ or something else? al, organization but to the society at large.
Tweets of Tanvi Seth to Sushma Swaraj
*Ma’am I never ever imagined that in a
The smiling photographs of the hid facts and they were residing place like passport office we would have
couple with their newly acquired in Ghaziabad but gave their place a people who are moral policing the citi-
passports, with the RPO stand- of residence as Lucknow. This is zens. He dint just put my passport on hold
ing beside them, are likely to be another grave error, which may be he even put my husband’s @5220manas
changed soon. Protests against held against them. passport on hold. This is clear grudge. I
the RPO acting in haste and under The social media platform that was shocked at this 1/2
social media pressure by issuing a Tanvi used for lodging her com- *“I have never felt so insulted in the
passport to Tanvi Seth are getting plaint against the passport officer last 12 years of my marriage with my hus-
louder. It is being alleged that her obstructing the issuance of her band. It is my personal choice to choose a
true identity is in doubt as her passport is likely to go against her name I want to after marriage. This is our
documents like nikahnama and now. Already, the tweets against family matter and last thing I expected to
Aadhaar card show two different her are growing in number. Some hear at the passport office was 2/3
names — Shadia Anas and Tanvi of them are downright abusive and
Seth. This is a grave crime and she leave a bad taste in the mouth. Of Tweet of Pooja Singh
can be charged with a dual identity course, there are many who are all “Dear Shoaib, as you are a Muslim, I have
and also of protesting and accusing in praise for the courage that the no faith in your work ethic….requesting
a government official of wrong duty couple exercised in bringing the is- you to assign a Hindu representative for
who was simply doing his job. sue to the fore. But the story seems me.”
The other flaw is that the couple to have taken a different turn now.
letters@tehelka.com

Tehelka / 15 july 2018 29 www.Tehelka.com

28-29 Kulsum Mustafa.indd 3 03/07/18 3:48 PM