2014 UPSC topper Ira Singhal stands up to troll

NEW DELHI: Ira Singhal, UPSC topper and deputy commissioner of Keshavpuram zone, became a target of the growing and disturbing trend of cyber bullying. Singhal shared a post in which attached screenshots from her Instagram account show a follower named Bhupesh Jaswal trolling her by referring to her physical condition of scoliosis.
“For anyone who thinks people with disabilities don’t have to face anything, as the world is nice and kind – just sharing someone’s comments from my Instagram account.A face of cyber-bullying,” Singhal wrote in her Facebook post.
However, instead of putting the focus on her harassment, the deputy commissioner made the case for more inclusivity and sensitisation at the level of school education.
“Unfortunately someone who cannot be bullied is being attempted to be bullied. This is why we need inclusive schools and this is why we need our education system to focus on producing better human beings more than anything else,” she wrote.
Speaking to TOI, Singhal said this was not the first time she was being targeted for her physical condition. It has continued since the 2014 civil services results, when she topped the exam. She added that in this case she had simply posted her picture from an event which invited such comments. “There were no heated arguments or discussion. Most of the people who follow me on Instagram are UPSC aspirants. If this person has such mentality, it shows clearly why we need an education system that focuses on producing better human beings,” Singhal said.
Ira added that the Hindi word used by the bully — referring to her physical state — itself was not wrong but the intent behind its usage was wrong. “If a person is blind, he is blind. But making blindness an abuse by saying that being blind is wrong, is incorrect. The intent to cause hurt using these words is incorrect,” Singhal said.
Singhal’s story has been one of intense struggle, not allowing her disability to stand in the way. In 2014, she became the first differently-abled candidate to obtain maximum marks in the general category of the civil services test. Four years before topping the prestigious exam, Ira’s candidature for the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) was cancelled by the government because of her disability.
She added that the inclusive curriculum should go down to the level of each teacher. “In classrooms, we should have all kinds of kids so that everyone interacts and understands each other and treats each other sensitively,” Ira said.
She added that the anonymity which social media provides further exacerbates the problem. “It is sheer negativity towards other people that feeds this kind of behaviour”.
The deputy commissioner will not be taking action against the troll. “Action against him will not change his mentality. Behaviourial change is more important,” she said.