Journalist Rana Ayyub and Her Father Under Grave Threat in India

November 21, 2025 – India – 

In India, prominent investigative journalist and Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub and her father are the target of explicit death threats, prompting international press-freedom organisations to call for urgent state protection.

According to Ayyub’s formal complaint filed with the Navi Mumbai Police (Koparkhairane station), the threats began on 2 November 2025 when she received a series of text messages, voice notes, and video calls from an individual presenting themselves as a Canadian resident. The caller disclosed her residential address in Navi Mumbai and her father’s location in Uttar Pradesh—information that was not publicly available. The individual demanded that she write an article about the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, warning that failure to comply would result in violence targeting both her and her father.

In response, ten non-governmental organisations including Reporters Without Borders (RSF), the International Press Institute (IPI) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) wrote to the Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner on 19 November 2025 calling for the conversion of the non-cognisable report into a codified offence, the opening of a formal investigation under the Indian penal code and the Information Technology Act, and the provision of immediate physical and digital protection for Ayyub and her family.

The coalition of NGOs warned that this incident represents a serious escalation in a longer-standing campaign of harassment against Ayyub, which has included online doxxing, coordinated hate campaigns, and repeated threats over several years. They emphasised that failure by the authorities to act would send a dangerous message to those who seek to intimidate journalists—especially women reporters operating in highly polarized environments.

While the complaint has been registered, the organisations insist that the response so far remains insufficient. They argue that visible, credible protection and a formal FIR or equivalent must be pursued promptly to uphold press freedom and ensure that journalists can work without fear of retaliation or harm in India.

Reference – 

https://rsf.org/en/journalist-rana-ayyub-danger-india-10-ngos-unite-demand-immediate-action-police

India: IPI, partners demand urgent protection for journalist Rana Ayyub following death threats

CPJ, partners urge Indian police to probe threats against journalist Rana Ayyub and her father