Singers push back against online abuse, harassment

Kathmandu, July 13: Harassment and abuse on social media through hateful comments, manipulated videos, and the misuse of popular figures’ photos and videos have become increasingly common.

Public personalities are often targeted by users who bully them with vulgar language and attempt to assassinate their character. This not only damages their reputation but also severely affects their mental and physical well-being.

Recently, two popular singers, Eleena Chauhan and Samikshya Adhikari, have taken strong action against social media users who abused and attempted to defame them online. They began taking screenshots of abusive comments and publicly posting them along with the abusers’ profiles on their own social media platforms.

Their intention is clear as they are standing up against cyber abuse. Their actions have even been praised by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli.

The Prime Minister praised singers Chauhan and Adhikari through a Facebook post on June 28, stating, “Blaming others and hurling insults just to make oneself look better, constantly opposing and cursing everything -- such sadistic tendencies must be removed from society. We need to protect society from being misled by such provocations and instead guide it toward reason and wisdom. In this context, these two singers’ initiation, exposing those who spew venom seems appropriate. It has become too common for those who try to do good to be targeted with insults. But those determined to bring about positive change must not lose courage.”

Following this, singer Chauhan and Adhikari also met with Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak at the Ministry of Home Affairs. According to the Cyber Bureau, many celebrities visit the bureau, but most do not lodge formal complaints. Celebrities are facing serious issues due to cyberbullying and often visit the bureau just to share their problems and seek information.

Speaking to The Rising Nepal, singer Chauhan said, “I was compelled to take this action because of vulgar, abusive, and character-assassinating comments that were unrelated to my work. People were sending me vulgar personal messages, including images of private parts, posting my photos, and making character-assassinating status updates. Most of these came from similar types of individuals who repeatedly commented in excess. All of this led me to emotional turmoil, that’s why I decided to take this step. This is a crime, and if crimes like these are not stopped in time, they can lead to serious consequences, so I felt it necessary to act.”

She added that after taking this step, the number of inappropriate comments on my social media posts has decreased. However, I am still receiving hurtful personal messages.

“I have received many apologies, but I am also receiving threats like, ‘If you don’t delete the post, I will kill myself.”

Initially, many celebrities, including Deepak Raj Giri and Keki Adhikari, supported the singers for their bold initiative.

However, according to singer Chauhan, artistes should be supported, but due to fears of getting into trouble, she has not received much support from fellow artistes.

She further added, “Despite working continuously, I now find myself alone. In the beginning, many people showed support, but now I am left to face this alone.”

According to Superintendent of Police and spokesperson for Nepal Police's Cyber Bureau, Deepak Raj Awasthi, the Cyber Bureau is limited in its ability to take action against all kinds of cybercrimes due to the absence of proper laws. “The lack of legislation and shortage of expert manpower has made it difficult to track abusive social media users.”

According to Awasthi, they received 19,730 applications last year, and complaints this year have already exceeded 18,000. These complaints, concerning both individuals and organisations, mainly involve fraud and cases of cyberbullying.

Out of the 18,000 cases, only 105 are currently ongoing in court, said the spokesperson.

In the singer Chauhan complaint case, one person has already been apprehended by the Cyber Bureau, and others are being searched for, said Awasthi.

Currently, cyber abuse cases in Nepal fall under Section 47 of the Electronic Transactions Act (2008). This section is the most frequently used provision to prevent cybercrime in the country. It specifies that if a person publishes or displays material that goes against morals, etiquette, or promotes hatred or malice through a computer, the internet, or other electronic media, they can be punished with a fine of up to Rs. 100,000, imprisonment for up to five years, or both.

Cyberbullying is also a concern related to the psychological mindset of the abuser. According to psychologist Basu Acharya, unnecessary dialogue and cyber abuse can lead to mental and psychological suf fering for celebrities. The mindset of online abusers often includes individuals with low self-esteem, those who are unable to achieve what celebrities have, and people who are jealous and cannot tolerate someone else's success. Others are dissatisfied with their own lives and attack celebrities out of frustration for not achieving similar success.

The psychologist further added that some abusers are also seeking social recognition, trying to be noticed by the public and display a false sense of heroism. Others are influenced by the actions of previous abusers, once one person attacks a celebrity, others often follow.

A significant factor behind such behaviour is a lack of legal awareness and ideological differences between the abuser and the victim. Additionally, emotionally empty or disconnected individuals may use social media as an outlet for their negativity, added Acharya.

The psychologist strongly said, “Empathy in society is rapidly eroding. Inhuman and harsh online comments have become common, pushing many public figures into emotional distress and psychological trauma.”