‘Punishing truth-tellers is punishing the people,’ Ruhullah Mehdi condemns threats to Rana Ayyub
Srinagar: In Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference senior leader and Indian parliament member from Srinagar, Agha Syed Ruhullah Mehdi has strongly condemned the latest death threats directed at prominent Indian journalist Rana Ayyub, calling the threats an act of cowardice by those in power “terrified of truth.”
According to Kashmir Media Service, in a post on X, Ruhullah Mehdi said that those behind such threats against journalists and writers of integrity, including Ayyub, are protecting tyranny by silencing the conscience. “To punish the truth-teller is to punish the people,” Mehdi further wrote.
He added that this fear-enforcement strategy, a mix of intimidation, silence, and coercion, was initially perfected in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir and later spread across India.
He emphasized that under a democratic government, such incidents should never become the norm and urged the Mumbai Police to take immediate steps to ensure Rana Ayyub’s safety and bring the perpetrators to justice.
Earlier, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) also called on Indian authorities to guarantee the safety of Rana Ayyub and her family. The CPJ’s statement echoed concerns over the growing climate of fear faced by journalists in India, particularly those who are critical of the government.
The latest threats to Rana Ayyub came on November 2, when she received a series of video calls, phone calls, and WhatsApp messages from an international number over a span of 20 minutes. This incident is not the first of its kind for Ayyub, who has been the target of sustained online harassment, official intimidation, and threats of rape and death as a result of her reproting.
Rana Ayyub has long been a vocal critic of Modi government policies. Her reporting has earned her accolades globally but has also led to repeated personal attacks, both online and offline. KMS-22S
