India: CFWIJ Concerned About The Threats Issued To Meena Kotwal

Location: India, New Delhi
Date: January 4, 2022

Journalist Meena Kotwal is on the receiving end of violent, casteist and sexist threats after one of her tweets. The reaction comes from right-wing Hindu groups who contend that Meena was insulting towards their religion. This is not the first time Meena has been on the receiving end of such threats, given the nature of her work. However, despite several complaints the police have not filed an FIR (First Information Report) on her behalf yet.

In a tweet posted on December 25, Dalit journalist Meena Kotwal recorded herself burning the “Manusmriti”. The tweet caused much uproar among right wing Hindu groups. Many Hindus believe that the “Manusmriti” is ancient religio-legal text and thus an essential part of the Hindu canon, while others believe it to be upholding caste and gender discrimination in the society. Through her act Meena was commemorating the “Manusmriti Dahan Divas” (Manusmriti Burning Day), first observed by Dr. B. R Ambedkar, the author of the Indian constitution, who believed that the document perpetrated caste based division in society.

क्या मेरी तरह आज आपने मनुस्मृति जलाया? इसका मजा ही कुछ और है...

ऐसे ही आज इस घटिया किताब को जलाएं और फोटो वीडियो शेयर करें। हम अब ऐसा लगातार करते रहेंगे, सिर्फ जलाएंगे ही नहीं बल्कि इसके विचारों को नेस्तनाबूद कर देंगे। बाबा साहेब ने भी यही किया था👇

आग ऐसी लगाई मजा आ गया 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/JEkd2I7sTm

— Meena Kotwal (मीना कोटवाल) (@KotwalMeena) December 25, 2021

The reaction to the tweet was violent, with Hindutva nationalistic groups like Bajrang Dal, Karni Sena, Vishwa Hindu Parishad on the forefront of an organized online attack. One of the messages she received threatened her with “suffering the same fate as Gauri Lankesh” (a Dalit woman journalist who was shot and killed in 2017). While other messages informed her that her number has been widely circulated on the Whatsapp network maintained by right wing Hindutva groups and she should be prepared for relentless attack. When Meena tried to register an official complaint with the police department, they refused.

“In most circumstances, getting the police to submit a complaint under the Prevention of Atrocities Act is extremely impossible. I have a first-hand experience with this,” Kotwal told a local publication.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is extremely concerned for the safety of Meena Kotwal. The recent rise of right wing violence in India has made it apparent that several violent Hindutva groups receive state patronage, and the refusal of the police to register a complaint against what are serious threats makes the situation more grave. Authorities need to immediately act on the matter in order to ensure her safety and by extension the safety of press and democratic values in the country.

The CFWIJ strongly condemns the police brutality against journalists. We demand the immediate return of the press cards seized from the security forces. Policies to intimidate journalists should be abandoned, and journalism should be practiced under the criteria of freedom of the press.

If you have been harassed or abused in any way, and please report the incident by using the following form.