India: CFWIJ Condemns Continued Legal Harassment Of Journalist Rana Ayyub
Location: India, New Delhi
Date: March 7, 2022Yet another First Information Report (FIR) was registered against journalist Rana Ayyub for her stance against state violence underway in India. A right wing group associated with the governing Bhartiya Janata Party accused Rana of “hurting Hindu sentiments” through her statement against the state decision to restrict Muslim women from wearing the Hijab to school.
The FIR was registered at the Vidyagiri police station in Karnataka under Section 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The complaint concerns an interview Rana Ayyub gave to the BBC, where she allegedly claimed that those opposed to the right of Muslim girls to wear the Hijab to school were “Hindu terrorists”.
According to The Telegraph, Ayyub told the BBC, “For decades, students across the religious spectrum have been wearing their symbols of faith. Sikhs wear their turban to school; Muslim girls were allowed to wear the hijab to the school.”
“These girls have been wearing the hijab for a very long time — it is not for the first time — so why suddenly has this group of young Hindu vigilantes, Hindu terrorists for that matter, who are hoisting saffron flags in an education complex in Karnataka? Why are students, why are male students, furling the saffron flag in an educational institution? What does that mean?” she asked.
Rana took to Twitter to share the latest attempt to stifle her criticism of the rapidly growing right-wing violence that is being backed by the Indian state.
Another case has been registered against me, in Karnataka, by the same Hindu right wing group, for ‘hurting Hindu sentiments’ in my interview on the Hijab ban and the intimidation of Muslim women. To the government and its cronies, THIS WONT STOP ME FROM SPEAKING THE TRUTH.
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) March 4, 2022
The same group had earlier accused Rana Ayyub, of misusing the donations collected for COVID-19 relief through the Indian crowdfunding platform, Ketto. This led to a fiscal probe by The Enforcement Directorate (ED), despite Rana issuing several clarifications. This persistent targeting of the journalist by the same state backed political group is indicative of a worrying trend of intimidation of the press in India.
The Coalition For Women In Journalism reasserts its support for Rana Ayyub and condemns the repeated attempts to weaponize the law in order to silence her. We have consistently covered the attacks and campaigns faced by the journalist and the insidious ways in which they find support from state offices. This poses a serious threat to press freedoms in the country and must be immediately halted.
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The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.
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