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HomeIndia'Remember Gauri Lankesh': Rana Ayyub receives death & rape threats after posts...

‘Remember Gauri Lankesh’: Rana Ayyub receives death & rape threats after posts on Kashmir

Journalist Rana Ayyub posted screenshots of several death and rape threats she has been getting on social media after calling out Bashir Ahmed Khan's killing in Jammu and Kashmir.

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New Delhi: Journalist Rana Ayyub took to Twitter Friday to share screenshots of the several rape and death threats she has been receiving on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

According to Ayyub, these threats began after she spoke out against the recent killing of Bashir Ahmed Khan, a 65-year-old Srinagar resident, who was caught in the crossfire between militants and security personnel in Kashmir’s Sopore region Wednesday.

The killing triggered a massive controversy in the Valley, and a photograph of Khan’s grandson sitting atop his corpse has also gone viral.

“Every time I write or speak on Kashmir, the hate is unimaginable. This time however I think they are doing it brazenly. Earlier at least they used to cover their words, use a language that isn’t specific, but this time they are being specific and aren’t scared of anything,” Ayyub told ThePrint.

On Friday afternoon, she had tweeted, “My timeline, my inbox is inundated with death and rape threats the last two days for speaking on Kashmir,” with screenshots of the threats by one Pranay Bhowmik.

One can see in the messages that Bhowmik has not only used extremely foul language but also issued a ‘rape threat’. He also hurled abuses at Kashmiris and Muslims.

In another screenshot, an account called ‘Hindu Rashtra’ asked Ayyub to recall Gauri Lankesh — a journalist who was shot dead in 2017.

“My Facebook, Twitter and Instagram is completely filled with hate and threats. They are reminding me of Gauri Lankesh. Every time they do this, whenever I make a statement,” she told ThePrint

The threats reminding her of Lankesh’s death have been particularly nerve-wracking for her.

“I remember three days before Gauri died, she posted on my Facebook wall when I was receiving a lot of hate, telling me that I shouldn’t worry and that these people wont do anything. Three days later she was killed so there is always a sense of fear that what if online hate will go offline,” she added.


Also read: Day after J&K militant attack, 3-yr-old knows grandfather is dead but thinks he will return


Ayyub’s tweets on Kashmir killing

It all began when Ayyub, who is known for being critical of the Modi government, tweeted Wednesday on Khan’s killing in Jammu and Kashmir.

“When it comes to Kashmir, there are no humanists , just convenient nationalists,” she had written.

On Thursday again, Ayyub tweeted a quote of the deceased civilian’s wife blaming the CRPF for her husband’s death, published in the online news portal, The Kashmir Walla.

Ahmed’s family, in a video message released online, has accused the CRPF of dragging him out of his car and shooting him point blank.

However, Kashmir Inspector General of Police (IGP) Vijay Kumar in a press conference Wednesday rubbished the claims, saying that the family was driven by militant’s threats.

Ayyub had also quoted the child’s account of his grandfather’s death from a report by ThePrint in a tweet.

She had flagged similar reports and statements on Facebook and Instagram, also sharing an illustration of a CRPF jawan holding a child and walking over a dead body, on the social media platforms.


Also read: Rana Ayyub to Vikas Khanna, many stars in lockdown crisis. But BJP loves only Sonu Sood


Police takes cognisance

The Navi Mumbai Police has taken cognisance of the threats made against Ayyub.

An inspector from the Kopar Khairane Police Station, Abhijit Madke, paid her a visit at her residence within two hours of her tagging the Mumbai Police in her tweet thread.

“The inspector was comforting and asked me to record a statement tomorrow. I will be recording my statement tomorrow and handing over all the evidence including threats on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. They have assured swift action,” said Ayyub.

Inspector Madke told ThePrint, “We are now taking into account the entire scene. Will reach the police station and brief seniors about the whole scene immediately. We start the investigation process from today itself.”

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19 COMMENTS

  1. India wonders why nobody in its neighborhood attacks China and supports India? Well this is why. Hindutva goons and saffron terrorists are threatening western and domestic critics, journalists and human rights like brave Ms. Ayyub. All of India’s neighbours see this daily.
    No wonder Kashmiris no longer want to live in this Hindutva failed state. What’s up BTW, with Indian men’s obsession with raping critics?

  2. I have concerns on the editorial supervision , the tweets inserted try to propagate inflammatory statements made cleverly , apart from this I am against any trolling of any reporter even if it is Rana , people like her reduce the impact of the message given their image as radical left and sympathisers of …

  3. Sab log apna apna bolo.. Laikin hum kashmiriyu sai b to poocho ki hum kya chahte hai.. Aur hum actual mai kya face kar rahe hai… Yeh jo rana ayub nai jo masla uthaya hai yeh to bas aik story hai.. Aisi story laakho hai yeha.. Har ghar mai aik aisi hi story hai… Hume kitni takleef di ja rhi hai koi es baare mai baat nahi kar raha… Hum kashmiriyu ko BJP ke logo aur unki policies nai baagi banne pe majboor kar diya… Itna zulm kar rahe hai yeh log fir b hume hi galat bol rahe hai…
    Yaad rakhna modi Allah es ka hisaab jldi kare ga inshallah…

  4. A innocent Child telling lie. Nothing new the Govt Machinery becomes Goons when see a Muslims, Kapdey se pachan Face se pachan/Recognise PM HM has given the theory, to get profit from Hatred’s to increase the Vote Banks they lower their Conscience ,Soul, this started by Advani, Modi, Shah, & Now whole BJPS team intellectual Terrorists Cell ,Since 1989, Advani he sowed Hatred 🌲 with Branches allover the World. Almighty punish those peoples who are against Humanity 🙏.jai Hind.

  5. I think it was Mandela who said “Fools multiply when wise men are silent.”

    Unfortunately most of the wise men have been too silent in India or have been branded anti nationals. Rana Ayyub, hang in there…

  6. The fight against the Left-Liberaties, should be fought with facts and not hate…..Because these Left-Liberaties are used to spewing hate & venom against everybody, since the times of Das Capital….. That’s the reason their ideology and their leaders committed the killings of millions of Jews & Russians, millions of Chinese people, including the great Tiananman Square massacre, The Cambodian citizens, Cubans, on & on on….. In fact their revolution starts with a barrel of Gun…

  7. Who is Rana Ayyub? Is she someone special? What about other common citizens like Radhika, Aditi, Madhuri, Savita and Janaki who face similar embarrassment? Will you write an article about them or only “special” people like Rana Ayyub?
    Rana …..who?

  8. can you be more specific for how many years she has been receiving these threats. She is carrying out her agenda and has so far been the toast of particular religious and political class, who have lost political relevance as this political and religious entity are bent on destructive ideology rather than any positive agenda.

  9. Why is print propogating this fake news that CRPF killed the man , he was killed by militants based on the details provided by officials

    • First learn the spelling of “propagating” before farting anything anywhere.
      Print is just conveying the statement of the dead man’s relatives.
      You should stand with them, instead of banging thaali for police.

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