Indian authorities stopped renowned journalist Rana Ayyub from boarding a flight to London on Tuesday at Mumbai airport.
On Tuesday, Indian journalist Rana Ayyub said that the authorities stopped her from travelling to London.
“I was stopped today at Mumbai immigration from travelling to deliver this address and onwards to International Journalism Festival to deliver the keynote speech on Indian democracy. I had made this announcement public over weeks, yet the ED (Enforcement Directorate) summon very curiously arrived in my inbox after I was stopped,” Ms Ayyub tweeted.
The Enforcement Directorate is investigating the alleged violation of foreign funding rules by Ms Ayyub after she raised funds to help the Covid victims. The UP police registered a case against her in September after one Vikas Sankrityayan – the founder of an NGO called “Hindu IT Cell” and a resident of Indirapuram filed an FIR.
A critic of the Narendra Modi government claims the “entire donation received through Ketto is accounted for and not a single paisa has been misused”.
Several international organisations, including UNHCR, have supported Ms Ayyub. International Press Institute tweeted on Tuesday, “IPI joins the wave of solidarity with Rana Ayyub. The prominent journalist and critic of Modi’s govt have been detained when she was to board her flight to London. We urge India to #LetRanaFly to Europe where she is scheduled to speak on online harassment at several international events.”
Another organisation PEN America also expressed solidarity with the author of the book ‘Gujarat Files’.
“PEN America stands in solidarity with journalist @RanaAyyub, who was recently prevented from travelling to London to speak about the impact of #OnlineAbuse and the growing threats to #pressfreedom in India. We demand Indian authorities #LetRanaFly and drop the charges against her,” it tweeted.
Rana Ayyub has received online death and rape threats by Hindu nationalists.
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