India: PEN International joins call for a police investigation into death threats against journalist and writer, Rana Ayyub
Courtesy of Rana Ayyub
24 November: Last week, PEN International joined PEN Centres and free press organisations in sending an open letter to Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe, calling for an urgent police investigation into death threats that have been made against Rana Ayyub and her father. The threats are just the latest example of the ongoing harassment that Rana Ayyub has faced in connection to her journalism. A transcript of the joint letter can be found below:
November 19, 2025
Sent via email
To
Mr. Milind Bharambe, I.P.S
Commissioner of Police,
Navi Mumbai, Opposite RBI,
Sector No 10, CBD-Belapur,
Navi Mumbai – 400614,
India
Subject: Urgent protection for journalist Rana Ayyub and her father following death threats
Dear Commissioner Bharambe,
We, the undersigned organizations, wish to acknowledge and appreciate the swift response by the Navi Mumbai Police in registering a non-cognizable report based on senior journalist and Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub’s recent complaint. At the same time, we write to convey our deep concern regarding the escalating threats faced by Ms. Ayyub and her father, and to respectfully ask that you take further steps to ensure their safety and uphold India’s longstanding commitment to press freedom and the rule of law.
According to Ms. Ayyub, on November 2, 2025, she received death threats from an international phone number. The caller revealed her residential address and her father’s whereabouts and threatened both with violence if she failed to publish an article on the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the killing of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
This latest episode compounds earlier acts of harassment. In November 2024, Ms. Ayyub’s personal phone number was leaked on social media, after which she endured hundreds of harassing calls and messages. She filed a complaint with the Koparkhairane Police Station in Navi Mumbai, but to date, she has not been informed about any progress in that investigation. The recurrence of these threats, now extending to her father, demonstrates a pattern of intimidation that jeopardizes both her safety and the broader climate for independent journalism in India.
In light of these facts, we respectfully call on the Navi Mumbai Police to:
Convert the current non-cognizable report into a cognizable offence and open a formal police investigation under the relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Information Technology Act;
Provide immediate and effective protection to Ms. Ayyub and her family, including physical security and digital safety support;
Coordinate with cybercrime and telecommunications authorities to identify and prosecute the individuals or networks behind these threats; and
Publicly reaffirm law enforcement’s commitment to the safety of journalists and to upholding India’s constitutional guarantees of press freedom.
Ms. Ayyub is among India’s most prominent investigative journalists, known for her reporting on victims of sectarian violence and human rights abuses. Over the past several years, she has been repeatedly subjected to coordinated online abuse, death threats and legal harassment.
Commissioner Bharambe, we urge you to immediately intervene to ensure that the threats against Ms. Ayyub and her father are treated with the utmost seriousness. A prompt and transparent investigation paired with visible, adequate protection will send a clear message that journalists in India can work without fear of retaliation or harm.
We thank you for your attention to this urgent matter and respectfully request a written update on the steps your department has taken to protect Ms. Ayyub and her family.
Respectfully,
Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ)
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression (CJFE)
Free Press Unlimited (FPU)
International Press Institute (IPI)
International Women's Media Foundation (IWMF)
PEN America
PEN Canada
PEN International
Reporters Without Borders (RSF)
Women Press Freedom and the Coalition For Women In Journalism