New Delhi: Renowned journalist and Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub has received multiple terrifying phone threats. The caller not only revealed her home address but also vowed to harm her and her family. In the wake of this horrifying incident, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) on Monday urged Indian authorities to take immediate steps to ensure Ayyub and her family's safety.

Rana Ayyub informed CPJ about the threats and filed a police complaint on November 3. According to the complaint, she received several video calls, phone calls, and messages via WhatsApp from an international number within a span of 20 minutes on November 2.

On November 4, Ayyub shared details of the incident on social media platform X (formerly Twitter). She wrote, "On the night of November 2, I received a call from a Canadian number threatening to kill me and my father for not publishing an op-ed in the Washington Post glorifying Indira Gandhi's assassination."

According to Ayyub, the threatener disclosed her private information. She added, "The display picture (DP) was of Lawrence Bishnoi. The person, named 'Harry Shooter,' wrote down my residential address and said he would send shooters to my home."

The caller also targeted her family. Ayyub revealed, "My parents are traveling; he wrote about the city they were in and said he would kill my father, and no one could save him."

In her police complaint, Ayyub noted that the caller's profile image matched that of Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently incarcerated in a jail in Gujarat state.

CPJ Calls for Swift Action

CPJ's India representative, Kunal Majumdar, expressed deep concern over the incident. He stated, "The violent threats made to Rana Ayyub and her father from an unknown international number are deeply alarming. Authorities must act swiftly to identify and hold the perpetrators accountable, and ensure the safety of all journalists in India so they can work without fear or violence."

Police Launch Probe, But FIR Pending

Ayyub filed the complaint at Kopar Khairane police station in Navi Mumbai. Immediately after the threats, she contacted Navi Mumbai police, who dispatched officers to her residence for security and patrolled the area overnight. Ayyub also mentioned that police reached her parents' location where they were traveling.

However, as of the morning of November 4, she reported that "no FIR has been registered yet."

When media personnel approached Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Milind Bharambe for comment, he did not respond immediately. Senior Inspector Umesh Gavali refused to comment, stating he was in the process of recording Ayyub's statement at the time.

This is not the first time Rana Ayyub has faced such harassment. Last year, her personal number was leaked online. Due to her reporting, she has endured constant online trolling, official threats, criminal investigations, and even rape and death threats in the past.