India: CFWIJ condemns the malicious police complaint against journalist Rana Ayyub

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September 13, 2021, New Delhi- A baseless police complaint was registered against Rana Ayyub by state-backed political workers. The complaint, registered in the state of Uttar Pradesh, alleges that Ayyub was involved in fraudulent dealings with the money she had collected for COVID relief work in the country. Ayyub denies these allegations against her and took to social media to clarify her stance on the issue. Ayyub has been a vocal critic of the current regime in India and this is not the first time she has been targeted with malicious propaganda by the Indian state or those who work for it.

Rana Ayyub took to her Twitter profile to speak about the propaganda campaign against her. The Indian IT cell, a notorious state-backed organization responsible for targeting and maligning its critics on the digital space, registered a police complaint against Ayyub for alleged fraud. The complaint claims that Ayyub was dishonest with the funds she collected for COVID relief under the Ketto initiative. In a statement she posted on Twitter, Ayyub says she was mercilessly harassed online as a result of this malicious complaint against her. She denies all allegations and argues that not only have the funds been fairly distributed, she has also paid state taxes on her fund collection.

This is not the first time Rana Ayyub has been targeted by state backed political workers. CFWIJ has consistently reported on the persecution faced by Rana Ayyub due to her critical stance against the current Indian regime. However, despite these intimidation tactics, Ayyub refuses to bow down to state violence. "Any amount of hate or propaganda will not stop me from pursuing my profession honestly, nor will I allow bullying tactics from doing relief work when it is most needed," the statement reads.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity with Rana Ayyub. The actions of the Indian state are absolutely reprehensible. Especially because Rana's relief work was a source of solace at a time when the Indian government had failed to provide safety services to its population that was dealing with a deadly pandemic. To target someone's charitable work to politically persecute them are underhanded tactics not suited for those who claim to be representing a democracy. The case against Rana Ayyub must be immediately dismissed.