Civil Servants are supposed to defend all government decision even at the prospect of facing flak from the public. But, no police officer in recent memory has fought for the government as ferociously as IPS officer D Roopa. The fiesty Karnataka cop, presently posted as Home Secretary of the state, has been in a never-seen-before kind of spat with Twitterati of various hues, mostly saffron, while trying to defend Government order banning bursting crackers during Deepawali this year, because of rising pollution. The skirmish that started with a couple of harmless tweets on November 15 morning, turned into a full-fledged war the next day which continued till November 17 late evening.

The irony is that the ban has been ordered by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) and the government is merely enforcing it. Another irony is that the Hindutva zealots vented their ire on Ms Roopa though the government at the Centre as well as in Karnataka, is headed by the right wing BJP.

Also Read: I Don’t Think Much about Personal Consequences: D Roopa

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But Roopa did not buckle down in the face of twitter onslaught of a troll army which questioned her (not the government) why loudspeaker was allowed on mosques or cracker ban was only on Diwali not Christmas or New Year. She kept her calm and replied most of such queries with cool logic.

So, on one side of the Twitter divide was D Roopa, having a sizable army of 2.36 lakh followers taking up cudgels on behalf of the government against the likes of @TIinExile, a Twitter handle with 2.38 lakh followers claiming to promote Indology and Indian History, Shefali Vaidya, a well-known right-winger with 5.14 lakh followers, Dreamer of Hindu Rashtra, Kanimozhi with 48000 followers, The Skin Doctor (3.32 lakh followers), former Acting Director of CBI M Nageshwar Rao with an avowed mission of getting ‘Equal Rights for Hindus’ and with 49100 followers and of course Bollywood actor, Kangana Ranaut with 26.34 lakh followers. The fighter in D Roopa came surfaced on November 16 night when even after bidding good night to her followers around midnight, she returned to tweet incessantly till the wee hours on Nov 17 and 18. Twitter finally suspended account of True Indology for “violating the Twitter Rules“

ALSO READ: A NIGHTINGALE IN UNIFORM

Indian Masterminds has compiled some sample tweets which reflect the intensity and sharpness of the spat. Presenting each and every tweet on the subject wasn’t possible because each of Roopa’s tweet was being replied by thousands of people and she as well her supporters too tried to match her trolls. We also tried to reach out to Ms Roopa for her comments but in vain.

PLEASE START READING FROM THE END (Bottom of this page) ….

because most recent tweets are at the top and are being updated continuously….

VISTORY TO D ROOPA, IPS…..

…. AND @TiNeXILE’S ACCOUNT SUSPENDED BY TWITTER

D Roopa Nov 18, 2020 4.11 am

And bcoz u have no respect for laws,rules of Govt,Court decisions &quasi judicial bodies &engage in continuous trolling with ur followers,misleading people with false knowledge, it will be wrong if I engage with trollers like u. Hence I’m blocking u .@TIinExile .@theskindoctor13

4.03 am

@TIinExile@theskindoctor13 &likes,u won’t follow ban order of elected governments; u will not respect decision of quasi-judicial body NGT; U won’t listen to someone like Dr Swamy(who said avoid crackers),who fought in court for Ram temple,Ram abt whom Dipavali is. But u troll?!

DR: 3.37 am

Crying victim on some imaginary bullying. U with ur faceless/nameless trolls will troll with all abusive words& lying on top of it. Chori upar se seena jori,wah! There r many on other hand who’ve come up with facts how u n ur follower-trolls troll them. Ur time’s up .@TIinExilehttps://twitter.com/TIinExile/status/1328815126841946112…This Tweet is unavailable.

Nov 17, 2020 9.59 pm

DR: @TIinExile ,ur follower trolls who are nameless,faceless ask me if I’m an expert on Hinduism. U r giving so much gyaan(which is incorrect many times) ,why don’t u tell, R u an expert? What expertise u have? Y r u faceless/ nameless. A Don troll like u is afraid to put identity?

DR: Anyone who is not in line with ur thinking,u will troll them as “entitlement of babus &arrogance? Is giving info abt ban wrong? When u say ban is anti-hindu,engaging with u guys, asking abt y u call it anti-hindu is arrogance or democratic?Illogical,intolerant of divergent views.

DR: Last part of ur tweet where u say u r answerable to people,look at the language of ur follower-trolls &at my patient answers. When I answer,u have a problem that it’s not in line with ur thinking. U r self-contradictory. U have a sense of entitlement to troll anyone who differs .https://twitter.com/TIinExile/status/1328646973973434368

Nov 17 6.37 pm Sahil Chawla: Even the comment mentioning Ture Indology name got more likes than Didi’s original Tweet

3.44 pm : D Roopa (Referring to @TrueIndology) : He lost it. Why should anyone worry about a faceless person, who can’t even show face.

3.39 pm DR: Sometimes logic takes backseat behind smoke. It’s not abt who brought crackers. If govt/NGT bans,there’s some rationale behind it& instead of making it an emotional issue& bantering take procedural recourse. But no,if officers engage with people in a democratic way,bash them,hmm?

The Skin Doctor: Just say that Crackers were brought by Mughals from far east as a gift for their Hindu brothers for them to celebrate Diwali and all this cancel crackers debate will stop. Next Diwali you might find IPS madam herself bursting crackers full night.

Nov 17/ 11.27 am

DR: In democracy,there’s recourse to all such things. Go on appeal,PIL, influence rule makers etc. Its wrong to troll with your faceless followers,a Govt official disseminating info on ban(necessary duty) &to brand all officials as belonging to some”ism”& anti some other “ism”.

10.27 am

DR: @TIinExile why have u deleted this tweet. U have clearly lost. As per challenge u accepted neither have u produced any ancient scripture tht mentions crackers. Nor did u apologise on this account. U have used words like Mughal/ Bible claiming to be mine while I didn’t. U lost it 

U said u will show ancient scriptures. U accepted challenge. U didn’t show. U didn’t even apologise as u promised. I didn’t even mention about Christmas/Bible.  In all ur tweets u r claiming things I never said. Extraneous words/changing goalpost is to mislead .@TIinExile

10.47 am

TI: You guys cancel crackers because you believe crackers are 500 years old. But wont apply same standards to cancel Bakrid Sacrifice, Loudspeaker Azan and Mughals. They get a free pass. This is why many people believe these steps to cancel crackers are prejudiced against Hindus

The Skin Doctor: Just say that Crackers were brought by Mughals from far east as a gift for their Hindu brothers for them to celebrate Diwali and all this cancel crackers debate will stop. Next Diwali you might find IPS madam herself bursting crackers full night.

11.36 am

Kanimojhi   Dear  @MNageswarRaoIPS  except for special case is Anti Hindu mindset is mandatory for posting & promotion in IAS & IPS? @D_Roopa_IPS

TI: Yes, you did not mention ANYTHING about Bakrid and Christmas? Why would you? That exposes your selective targeting of Hindu festivals. As you yourself confess, you have not spoken a word about others. Secularists who flex muscles to target Hindu festivals are mum about others.

You say I did not give you any reference. I gave references from Ananda Ramayana, Skanda Purana, Sukraniti etc. What exactly do you expect Sanskrit texts to have? Do you demand that we produce the English word “Fire crackers” in Sanskrit texts if we have to escape ban?

If you say you are just following your secular government’s orders, please follow it by all means. Keep it simple and direct. There was no need to bring in Valmiki Ramayana and talk about illegitimacy of Diwali crackers in the first place

3.25 am

DR: Dear @TIinExile, u r bringing in things which were unsaid. Govt/ NGT banning it is based in certain criteria. As a person who works for govt,I will ask people to follow orders. Argument between u n me was tht u said crackers date back to very ancient times. I disagreed. 1/2

3.33 AM

2/2… U said u will show ancient scriptures. U accepted challenge. U didn’t show. U didn’t even apologise as u promised. I didn’t even mention about Christmas/Bible.  In all ur tweets u r claiming things I never said. Extraneous words/changing goalpost is to mislead . @TiinExile

17/11    3.13 am

TI: Madam, You want to ban crackers on Diwali because they are not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana. Christmas is NOT EVEN MENTIONED in the Bible! Using your “core-religious-text” banning argument, when are you banning it? Or are these scriptural tests and bans only for Hindus?

DR: Good night all.

DR: Beautifully explained by Dr Swamy here is the essence of Deepawali. Those upset with govt ban on crackers, anguished, fretting n fuming, do listen to one of your own tall leaders at 9:40 onwards in the video abt cracker ban. 

11.46 pm      DR: Finally, u r agreeing to wht I said. That’s exactly wht I said tht ancient scriptures don’t have any mention of crackers. They didn’t exist then. Tht makes it more a social practice. So how does cracker ban become anti-hindu/ religion per se? Ur apology is pending yet .@TIinExile

11.36 pm : What does it all show? With advancement of technology, everything changes. But the basic concept of using combustibles to make noise and illuminate the sky on the day of Dipavali existed since ancient times. This was not a foreign import or 16th century concept

11.33 pm      TI : The concept was to use a combustible substance on the night of Dipavali to make a lot of noise, illuminate the sky and show the path to our departed ancestors. This is mentioned in the Skanda Purana itself & is true irrespective of whether or not Ulka means modern fire crackers.

1131 pm:      If one goes by this logic, one could as well conclude that Ancient India had NOTHING in our culture because everything today is different from its yesteryear’s predecessors. What is relevant is that the concept existed. And the concept was quite simple.

11.30            TI: Crackers used in Ancient India were different from today’s modern crackers. Just like chairs used in ancient India were different from today’s modern chairs. Does that mean Chairs are not a part of Indian history? Almost everything used today is different from its predecessors.

11.25            TI: They still served two basic purposes for which they were used 1) Made noise 2) Illuminated the sky Nobody bothered about alleged “pollution” that could have been an inadvertent consequence. Obviously, Crackers used in ancient India were different from today’s modern crackers.

11.19 pm      DR: Glad u answered. Not correct answer but a good try. Since u didn’t find any reference, bcoz they didn’t exist is what u r agreeing to. It’s a social practice like many others & less of religion. Then why make ban anti- Hindu. They shd be banned on all occasions, rallies, new year etc

11.18            TI: If you come across the kind of crackers that were available in the market even in 1980, you would be very surprised. They were NOTHING fancy like today’s crackers. Many of them were quite primitive. Most people of India were poor and they used such basic crackers

11.15              TI: Analysing such verses, professor of Sanskrit and historian Dr. GV Raghavan concludes that crackers have been a part of Dipavali celebrations since earliest times. He says that their religious purpose was to light the path of the departed pitrs.

10.57 pm         TI: I answered your question. Now a question for you. Show a single verse from Valmiki Ramayana or Vyasa Mahabharata that mentions Dipavali. Once I have your verse, I will definitely show you crackers in that very verse

10.15             TI: Analysing such verses, professor of Sanskrit and historian Dr. GV Raghavan concludes that crackers have been a part of Dipavali celebrations since earliest times. He says that their religious purpose was to light the path of the departed pitrs.

10.01 pm

Replying to

@TIinExile

This verse is from Vaiṣṇava-khaṇḍa of Skanda Purāṇa. It describes rites to be performed on Dīpāvalī. It says that on the night of Chaturdashi, we need to show the path to the departed Pitrs by holding fireworks in our hands. English Translation of the Verse by GV Tagare

17/11   1.53 pm Jyoti Prakash Panda: It’s Firebrand and not Fireworks. This would not be the correct example. A firebrand is a piece of burning wood. I know because my family performs this ritual even today.

9.11 pm  

TI: Done.

उल्काहस्ता नराः कुर्युः पितॄणां मार्गदर्शनम्।
नरकस्थास्तु ये प्रेतास्ते मार्गं तु व्रतात्सदा ।।
– Skanda Purana.

Skanda Purana is largest of the 18 Mahapuranas and one of the most important scriptures . No Hindu can cancel Skanda Purana . Only remains for you to apologise

9.11 pm

DR: @TIinExile pls show one sloka/couplet from mool Ramayan by Valmiki or even Mahabharat,or any ancient scripture tht crackers were in use at that time. If u show, I will apologise. Else, u apologise for saying I have zero knowledge.

Nov 16/  7.13 pm

TI: Madam, you have ZERO knowledge about this. Stop embarrassing yourself. You say Fireworks are not mentioned in our Epics/Puranas. Have you read Ananda Ramayana? It clearly mentions fireworks during Lord Rama’s wedding BTW- Is your secular IPS service mentioned in our scriptures? 

M Nageshwar Rao :

Nov 16/ 11.36 am

Kanimojhi: Dear @MNageswarRaoIPS except for special case is Anti Hindu mindset is mandatory for posting & promotion in IAS & IPS?  @D_Roopa_IPS

M Nageshwar Rao (ex-IPS. Former I/C Director, CBI. Occasional writer. RT not endorsement. ‘Like’ not approval. Vision: Civilisational India. Mission: Equal Rights for Hindus) :

But when the Lutyens cabal which is deeply entrenched in all the institutions of governance & justice, are so blinded by Hindu Hatred, can they see the Hindu civilisational agony so poignantly explained in this video?

DR: You should get your facts right first. There’s no ban on loudspeakers by SC. There are orders by many HCs, applicable in respective states,which have to be complied lest it becomes contempt of court.

1.24 PM Sachin Poojary: Elected govt and SC also ordered to ban loud speaker in place of worship. Can I hear something about this from you

Shefali Vaidya: My rule is simple now, any celeb/politician giving gyan only to Hindus on how to celebrate our festivals without saying one word on Bakri Eid/Christmas etc, I will stop following them, stop buying any product they endorse and will call out their hypocrisy, no matter who they are

12.51 pm DR: I wrote my piece after popular,elected govt passed the order. I work for Govt. If you want any other order during any other festival,insist, start activism,build public opinion for govt to do it. I’m not an activist. As govt official I will insist on following the order.

Kanimojhi (describes herself as dreamer of Hindu Rashtra) –

Hope madam @D_Roopa_IPS get time to read this article during her busy schedule of teaching Hindus, ‘what is Hinduism and how to celebrate their festivals in accordance with missionaries and thookers’.Quote Tweet

TI: Madam, You want to ban crackers on Diwali because they are not mentioned in Valmiki Ramayana. Christmas is NOT EVEN MENTIONED in the Bible! Using your “core-religious-text” banning argument, when are you banning it? Or are these scriptural tests and bans only for Hindus?

Nov 15, 12.19 pm D ROOPA (DR): Insist on banning other things that are not good/ healthy during other festivals. But that can’t be the reason to not follow the ban this time. I will of course lecture bcoz it’s a govt ban order for Bengaluru and I work for govt. U probably do not know how it is blr right now.

TRUE INDOLOGY (TI) From the time of Arthashastra down into the Medieval ages, North West Indians continued to use gunpowder in warfare. A Chinese text dating back 7th century CE attests to the use of Gun Powder in North West India. Snippet from “Military Transition in Early Modern Asia,1400- 1750”

TRUE INDOLOGY: (In a different context) Ancient Indians used Gunpowder long BEFORE Mughal invaders were even BORN. Ancient Indians used Saltpetre (Agnichurna), the major constituent of gunpowder, to make firecrackers (ulkah) on Diwali. “Gunpowder originated in Ancient India”- Indologist Dr. Gustav Oppert

IT ALL STARTED WITH THIS FACEBOOK POST