Chandigarh: The alleged rape and murder of a Dalit woman from Uttar Pradesh's Hathras has evoked strong reactions on social media, but has, unfortunately, also brought back painful memories which a Chandigarh family was trying to forget.
Manisha Yadav, a resident of Chandigarh, had passed away at the young age of 22 in 2018 due to some health-related ailments. However, her pictures have now gone viral on social media, with people mistaking her for the Hathras victim.
"She died in July 2018. But her pictures have now gone viral. We were trying to forget our loss, but people have made her pictures go viral. The entire family is upset," Manisha's father Mohan Lal said.
"This is an insult to my daughter. I am feeling very uneasy. People are bringing back my sorrows which had gone," said a teary-eyed Usha Devi, Manisha's mother.
The family first got to know that their deceased daughter's pictures had gone viral on social media, after Manisha's sister came across an Instagram post. Though that post was taken down, Manisha's pictures have been widely shared across social media platforms.
Read: A timeline of events in the fatal Hathras rape
"A friend of mine sent me an Instagram post. Well-known handles, and even celebrities are sharing the pictures without verifying," Manisha's sister Ruchi said.
Struck by grief once again two years after their daughter's death, the family is now demanding action against those who made Manisha's pictures go viral on social media.
"People are still sharing pictures. There must be someone who was the first to share them. This must be stopped, and action must be taken against the culprits," Manisha's father said.
"Sharing someone's pictures without their permission is a crime. All our friends and relatives are constantly asking us about the pictures," Manisha's sister Ruchi said.
The family has condemned the Hathras incident but has also asked people not to wrongly share their daughter's pictures as that of the victim.
Read: Why is Yogi Adityanath govt, BJP silent on Hathras rape issue?
