Around Deepavali, Hindustan Times published an article referencing a social media post that had gone viral. The piece quoted a “Delhi woman” named Naomi Barton, who reportedly shared a “distress” post about her dog’s sleepless nights due to the noise from Deepavali firecrackers. According to the article, she was allegedly told to “leave the country” in response to her concerns.
Expressing her feelings, she wrote “Happy Diwali! My dog has a heart condition and has been trembling with anxiety for the last hour. This will be her second night of no sleep. I hope making large explosive noises has given everyone a deep feeling of spiritual fulfillment!”
Upon further investigation, it was revealed that Hindustan Times had frequently cited a Delhi woman who turned out to be the same Naomi Barton. Over time, Naomi appeared in various roles, sometimes as a comedian, other times as a pop culture enthusiast, a dog owner, or even a writer – she seemed to embody many different personas.
Let’s take a look at who this multi-talented personality is. Turns out, Naomi Barton, as stated on her X bio, is a Literary Agent at A Suitable Pitch and has also contributed as a journalist and writer for The Wire. Here’s a glimpse of her Hinduphobic behaviour from the past.
In 2020, she mocked Hindus for welcoming puppies into their homes in traditional Hindu fashion. In her critique, she even managed to bring up Brahmanism, attaching a caste label to the dog in the process. She wrote, “This is, ostensibly harmless and cute but says a lot about how the entire edifice on which Brahmanism is built is a construct, given how this is now a Hindu Upper Caste… Golden Retriever? Also it is 2020. Get rescued dog, and don’t contribute to awful puppy mills.”
In 2022, Naomi Barton appeared to incite violence during the hijab controversy. She seemed to encourage Muslims to take up arms against Hindus, suggesting that if the situation were reversed, Hindus would naturally react similarly. Her statements, however, were unsupported by any credible evidence and appeared to be baseless provocations.
She wrote, “If any Muslim community had come together to so much as take a dupatta from a Hindu woman there would be blood in the streets. It is a particularly brutal humiliation that Muslims are forced to watch helplessly at the insult given to Muslim women for fear of retaliation.”
She has previously displayed a pattern of using offensive language when openly discussing Hinduism.
In April 2022, a netizen named Daribha Lyndem shared a troubling experience at a hospital, where she felt exposed and violated during an ECG procedure after a cleaning staff member entered the trauma ward without warning. She expressed frustration over the lack of privacy, stating, “The nurse could have taken me to a private room, but she was too lazy.” While many showed empathy towards her, Naomi Barton criticized Daribha, accusing her of “weaponizing” her privilege against a man she assumed to be of a lower class. Barton suggested that Daribha was deliberately committing violence against an accident.
Barton recommended the book Conflict is Not Abuse, interpreting the incident as a class issue. When urged to reconsider her stance, she remained firm, emphasizing the significance of class imbalances. Her response drew criticism, with many pointing out that by focusing on “class imbalance,” she downplayed Daribha’s distressing experience, redirecting attention away from the real concerns of privacy and professionalism at the hospital.
Naomi’s entire timeline on her X account is filled with animosity towards Hindus, clearly reflecting a targeted agenda. Every statement she makes seems deliberate, and it appears that someone at Hindustan Times is consistently amplifying her “message,” presenting her as nothing more than “another Delhi woman/girl.”
