Four who sent abusive messages to journalist Rana Ayyub identified

A 30-year-old fashion designer from Dehradun, Uttarakhand, is amongst four individuals who have received notices from the Koparkhairane police

Navi Mumbai: A 30-year-old fashion designer from Dehradun, Uttarakhand, is amongst four individuals who have received notices from the Koparkhairane police for allegedly posting abusive comments about journalist Rana Ayyub on X, formerly known as Twitter.

The abusive messages were sent to Rana Ayyub on X, formerly known as Twitter.(Saumya Khandelwal/HT File Photo)

On November 8, Ayyub took to X to alert police about harassment she faced after her mobile number was made public on the platform.

The Koparkhairane police have issued notices to four of the 12 accused identified in the case. The fashion designer, Diksha Kandpal, travelled to Mumbai to provide her statement on Monday.

Ayyub, who resides in Navi Mumbai, stated in her complaint that she was awakened by phone calls at 1:15 am on November 8. Upon checking her phone records, she discovered numerous calls from unknown numbers and abusive WhatsApp messages. Through one such message, she learnt that her contact information had been leaked on X.

"Following this, I checked my handle and found that an account - Hindutva Knight @Hphobiawatch - had posted my picture along with my contact number with a message: 'Send me some nice horror movie suggestions on my WhatsApp.' This post received numerous responses which were abusive and filled with hatred," Ayyub said.

According to an FIR registered at the Koparkhairane Police Station on November 9, the designer is alleged to have commented about that particular post on the Hindutva Knight timeline: “Raat ko video call kar liya karo isko hi”, suggesting that a video call be made to the complainant at night.

Ayyub added that whilst the original post containing her picture and number was removed after she tagged the police, another account subsequently reposted the same information.

The police have identified twelve X accounts responsible for sending offensive messages to the journalist.

Meanwhile, the designer has spelled out her position on X, posting: “As I have clarified before, I have not given any such statement to the police. Neither did I call/contact Rana, nor sent any abusive messages to her on her number.”