Key Points:
Journalist Rana Ayyub and her father received multiple death threats from a Canadian number linked to the Khalsa group.
Ayyub filed a non-cognisable complaint at the Koparkhairane police station.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) urged Indian authorities to provide immediate protection to Ayyub and her family.
Indian journalist and Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub received several threatening phone calls on November 2, 2025, targeting both her and her father. According to Ayyub’s social media post, the caller contacted her from a Canadian number and claimed to be associated with the Khalsa group. The caller allegedly directed the journalist to write an article on the 1984 Sikh riots.
Following the threat, close vigilance has been maintained at the residence of journalist Rana Ayyub. The police have reportedly registered a non-cognisable complaint, which has been handed over to the Koparkhairane police station, Navi Mumbai, Maharashtra.
According to the complaint, she received numerous calls and text messages from an international number displaying the Canadian flag and an image of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
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Ayyub later shared details of the call on her social media page, stating that the caller demanded she swiftly publish an op-ed in The Washington Post, where she works as a columnist.
They allegedly threatened her family if she refused to “glorify” the killers of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. She further mentioned that the caller was aware of her residential address and other personal details known only to her immediate family.
Her post added, “He mentioned my residential address, saying he would send sharpshooters to my place ‘to celebrate.’” The post further stated that the caller warned her not to be under the “illusion” that her father would be safe, indicating that he was also under the caller’s radar.
She expressed concern upon learning that the callers were aware of her parents’ whereabouts while they were travelling for a wedding.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a non-profit organisation dedicated to safeguarding journalists and ensuring press freedom worldwide, has also called for the protection of Rana Ayyub.
In a statement, CPJ urged Indian authorities to provide Ayyub and her family with immediate protection after she received multiple threats allegedly linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
Rana Ayyub is the author of the prominent investigative book Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up, which she herself published. Ayyub had previously been a victim of doxxing, a type of cyberbullying in November 2024, during which perpetrators leaked her personal information online.
She filed an FIR against multiple social media accounts who were responsible for the leak at the Koparkhairane police station.
Given the history of past threats, online abuse, and intimidation faced by journalist Rana Ayyub, the CPJ has called out the authorities to ensure the safety and protection of all journalists working in India.
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