New Delhi, July 17, 2021 (PPI-OT):The news of Reuters photojournalist and Pulitzer prize winner Danish Siddiqui’s death drew strange reactions from right wing extremists on social media. During the second wave of Covid-19, Siddiqui had photographed a funeral ground where mass cremations were taking place.

These photographs showed the scale of the pandemic and grieving family members. Soon after, he was trolled viciously, with right wing extremists saying the snaps showed India in a poor light.

Using expletives, right wing extremist said Danish took photos of Hindu cremations at the peak of 2nd wave of COVID-19 and splashed them across foreign media to not only demean India but also to degrade Hinduism.

A social media user from Hindu right wing said Siddiqui got what he deserved for taking those drone shots. While another said Siddiqui violated the sacred funeral rites of hundreds of Hindus with his drone stunt to build a narrative against India during pandemic.

But probably all these Hindu extremists forgot was that Danish Siddiqui being a thorough professional showed to the world the real picture of the pandemic in India.

However, there were several who expressed grief. Former J and K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah condemned the trolling. “That @dansiddiqui was killed by the Taliban while doing his job in Afghanistan is tragic but the fact that there are b******s out there celebrating his death because Danish was good at his job and made them uncomfortable is beyond reprehensible. Rot in hell RW trolls.”

Celebrating the pictures Siddiqui took, Amber Ajay Tiwari wrote: “He told stories through his pictures. He fought for the oppressed with his lens. What a great photojournalist he was.”

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