Death threats issued to journalist Rana Ayyub, her father
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Prominent Indian journalist Rana Ayyub and her father reportedly received death threats on Saturday.
According to media reports, Ayyub received a threatening phone call from an unidentified person who claimed to know her address. The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged the Indian government to take immediate action to identify and hold accountable those responsible, stressing the importance of ensuring that journalists in India can work without fear or intimidation.
In her complaint to the Mumbai Police, Ayyub said she received several threatening calls and WhatsApp messages within about 20 minutes. The caller allegedly demanded that she write an article about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, in which around 3,000 people were killed following the assassination of then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Siasat Daily reported.
The caller further threatened to send people to her residence to attack her and kill her father if she refused to comply.
Ayyub also informed police that the caller’s WhatsApp profile picture appeared to match a photograph of Lawrence Bishnoi, a gangster currently imprisoned in Gujarat. Following the complaint, Navi Mumbai Police provided security at her home.
This is not the first time the journalist has faced harassment. In 2024, her personal contact number was leaked online by a right-wing social media account named “Hindutva Knight.” The leak intensified the threats and abuse she had already been facing, particularly from individuals claiming to support the ruling BJP and its affiliates.
Ayyub, known for her investigative book Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover-Up on the 2002 Gujarat riots, expressed serious concern over the repeated targeting of journalists and the exposure of her personal data. She described these incidents as part of wider efforts to silence dissenting voices in India.
She shared on social media that she had received multiple death and rape threats, prompting her to switch off her phone for safety. Ayyub said her family was deeply shaken and spent the night comforting her amid the ordeal.