The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has urged Indian authorities to ensure the safety of journalist and Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub and her family after she reported receiving violent threats from an unknown international number. The caller allegedly mentioned her home address and issued threats against her and her father.
According to CPJ’s India representative Kunal Majumder, quoted by The Hindu, “The threats of violence made against Rana Ayyub and her father from an unknown international number are deeply concerning. Authorities must act swiftly to identify and hold accountable those responsible and ensure the safety of all journalists in India so they can work without fear of intimidation or violence.”
Details of Threats and Complaint
In her police complaint filed on November 3 at Kopar Khairane police station in Navi Mumbai, Ayyub said she received multiple WhatsApp calls and messages over a 20-minute period the previous evening. The caller allegedly demanded that she write a column on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, threatening to attack her and her father if she refused.
CPJ cited her complaint as stating that the caller knew her residential address and that his WhatsApp profile displayed an image of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently lodged in a Gujarat prison. The organisation noted that it had not been able to verify any link between Bishnoi and the caller. Following the threats, police officers were deployed to Ayyub’s residence for her protection.
Rana Ayyub's Reaction
Ayyub later posted a detailed statement on Instagram describing the incident. She said the calls came from a Canadian number “claiming to be associated with a Khalsa group.”
The caller, she wrote, demanded she “immediately publish an op-ed in The Washington Post about Indira Gandhi and glorify her assassins,” warning that sharpshooters would be sent to her home “to celebrate” if she refused.
The journalist said she contacted police immediately, who stationed officers at her residence and sent personnel to ensure her parents’ safety. Ayyub urged the Navi Mumbai police to investigate the threats “with the urgency it deserves” and to register a formal case.
CPJ added that Ayyub has faced repeated online abuse, intimidation, and threats in the past, calling for authorities to act decisively to protect her and all working journalists in India.
