India: CFWIJ is monitoring the persistent harassment against journalist Shivani Handa

July 8, 2021 - TV journalist Shivani Handa filed a harassment complaint against her husband and in-laws. She lodged a written complaint to the Commissioner of Police and the National Commission for Women. She accused her husband and his family of abuse and torture. According to Shivani, on June 2, the family violently assaulted her and threw her out of the house. CFWIJ condemns the torture against Shivani and demands an immediate inquiry into the harassment complaint. 

According to the journalist, she married her husband in 2015 and her family spent a huge sum of money on her wedding and gifts. But her in-laws continued to torment Shivani, hoping to get more money from her parents. She was tortured and thrown out of her home by her husband's family on June 2. Now, Shivani has filed a formal harassment complaint and is seeking justice for herself and her family. India has passed strict laws against dowry payments, though they are still common. To discourage this practice, several public awareness campaigns were introduced.

Along with such complaints, challenges against women journalists in India are also very troubling. CFWIJ documents several cases of threats and violations on a regular basis. A recent example is the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against journalist Nidhi Suresh. The context of the FIR was a report published by Nidhi, which contained the details of harassment faced by a woman who converted from Hinduism to Islam. As per Nidhi's investigation, the woman received several threatening calls after her conversion. The associated number was registered in the name of journalist Deep Srivastava, though he denied these allegations and filed a defamation case in response.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is closely monitoring the situation of harassment against Shivani Handa. We demand that police take necessary action to investigate the allegations and hold the perpetrators accountable. CFWIJ offers its support to Shivani during this distressing time.