Journalist, Writer of ‘Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up’ and COVID19 Warrior during pandemic, Rana Ayyub received death and rape threats on social media Friday morning.
Rana shared the screenshots of threats she has received on different social media platforms early today that are filthy and fearful both.
“My timeline, my inbox is inundated with death and rape threats the last two days for speaking on Kashmir,” Rana tweeted with a screenshot of threats.
My timeline, my inbox is inundated with death and rape threats the last two days for speaking on Kashmir pic.twitter.com/VUEVSoiXLw
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) July 3, 2020
Another screenshot shared by Rana is from a user called ‘Hindu Rahstra” who reminded her of Gauri Lankesh. Gauri Lankesh, a Lingayat Journalist and critic of right wing Hindutva politics was murdered just outside her residence in Bangalore by Hindutva activists about three years back.
They are reminding me of Gauri Lankesh pic.twitter.com/QEr57VQlL1
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) July 3, 2020
Threats began pouring in when on Wednesday Rana shared a piece from a Kashmir based portal in which Basheer Khan’s killing and placing his grand son on his chest was shown as a handiwork of Indian army.
“They killed him and then kept his three-year-old grandson on his body”, the wife of the killed man can be heard saying in video “The child’s clothes are soaked with his grandpa’s blood. He was not a militant. He was a petty employee. #Kashmir,” she tweeted this with a link to the report.
“They killed him and then kept his three-year-old grandson on his body”, the wife of the killed man can be heard saying in video
“The child’s clothes are soaked with his grandpa’s blood. He was not a militant. He was a petty employee.” #Kashmirhttps://t.co/jCb3xVOp4v— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) July 2, 2020
This is not first time that Rana Ayyub got such threats. She has been receiving such wild threats since she did a sting operation on role of Modi brigade in Gujarat riots as a journalist working for Tehelka. She later compiled her story of sting operation in a book ‘Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up” which drew international attention and brought her several accolades.
To what extent Rana suffered for voicing against the falsehood is clear from her brother Arif Ayyub’s tweet. “My sister @RanaAyyub has gone through intense trauma and anxiety for more than a decade receiving death and rape threats and calls from random numbers. She has been doing her journalism at great personal risk to her life but it is time the authorities take action. Proud of her,” he tweeted with a sense of fear and pride.
My sister @RanaAyyub has gone through intense trauma and anxiety for more than a decade receiving death and rape threats and calls from random numbers. She has been doing her journalism at great personal risk to her life but it is time the authorities take action. Proud of her
— Arif Ayyub (@arifayyub) July 3, 2020
Not only Rana Ayyub but everybody even an ordinary man or woman gets abused and threatened by right wingers on social media to discourage voice against the current government and its politics.
