Morphed screenshot of Swara Bhasker’s tweet circulated on social media

Actress Swara Bhasker has once again become a target for right-wing trolls on social media. A screenshot of a tweet ascribed to her was tweeted by a user Shash(@pokershash) which has now been deleted. The screenshot read, “This is what hate looks like. The wise and always open to dialogue a Muslim Lawyer attacked by so called Maulana of Muslims. She is 60 years old. This is HEARTBREAKING. Along with ALL the halala this too is on u @INCIndia”. The tweet accumulated 57 retweets and 169 likes before it was deleted.

Not an original tweet

Bhasker rubbished the statement credited to her tweeting, “My original tweet. (On left about Swami Agnivesh being attacked) and the Fake News Factory adapting it.. to the Slapgate issue.. guys u are SO creative!“.

My original tweet. (On left about Swami Agnivesh being attacked) and the Fake News Factory adapting it.. to the Slapgate issue.. guys u are SO creative! 🙄🙄🙄🙄 pic.twitter.com/GLBJAZqmkS

— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) July 19, 2018

It didn’t stop there

Shash(@pokershash) tried to save face by deleting the tweet without an apology. Later, the account tweeted the same screenshot mocking Bhasker, “Everyone knows that it’s fake coz you just can’t condemn violence on a woman by a muslim. It’s funny that your idea of women empowerment is limited only to pathbreaking.”

Everyone knows that it’s fake coz you just can’t condemn violence on a woman by a muslim. It’s funny that your idea of women empowerment is limited only to pathbreaking. pic.twitter.com/0EmHCJbGX9

— Shash (@pokershash) July 19, 2018

Targeted earlier as well

A photoshopped tweet of Swara Bhasker had been circulated in the past as well. Posted below is the tweet which carried the morphed screenshot of Bhasker’s tweet,

So a media company is using dented painted b!**0s of Bollywood to promote hinduphobia deliberately using ‘Hindustan’. @smritiirani pic.twitter.com/do4g5oYT6f

— कुंतवै (@Kunthavi5) April 16, 2018

Whereas the original tweet of Bhasker was nowhere close to what was portrayed.

The need for make up was because I was right in the middle of a shoot Chandni.. you know that thing called WORK.. But why is that important? People who wear make up cannot take up for a cause? Don’t have the right to express their opinion? What’s bothering you? https://t.co/Z7X9gMSo5Y

— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) April 13, 2018

Earlier, A fake quote regarding the movie Padmaavat was ascribed to Swara Bhasker in January 2018 by serial fake news purveyor ShakhNaad after she had written an open letter to director Sanjay Leela Bhansali about the movie. ShankhNaad is known for its chronic tendency of sharing misinformation. In a statement given to Alt News, she had refuted the claim, calling it “perverse and wilful twisting of my article”.

This is a BLATANT LIE. @ShankhNaad pls publish an official apology or we can take this to court.. https://t.co/yJQe6UpX7l

— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) January 30, 2018

Ascribing false statements to politically vocal public figures is not a new phenomenon. Alt News has observed that public figures who refuse to toe the popular line are specifically targeted by the right-wing ecosystem on social media.