NEW DELHI – Several journalists have complained of receiving threateningcalls and messages, including explicit pictures, on Twitter and WhatsAppover the weekend after they offered to help Kashmiris who were beingharassed in some parts of the country in the aftermath of the Pulwamaterror attack.
Forty Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed in the suicideattack on a convoy.
Several Kashmiri studentslinkandresidents were harassed and threatened following the terror attack, withmany being asked to leave their colleges or vacate their homes.ADVERTISEMENT
On Sunday, journalist Barkha Dutt had tweeted that her “doors are open toany Kashmiris” who need help or feel vulnerable. “Those abusing andvilifying innocent citizens are sympathisers of terrorists in the garb ofnationalists,” she said.
“They are reading from a script of hate which is totally what Jaish wants.”Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Muhammad had claimed responsibility for the Pulwamaterror strike.
However, early on Monday, Dutt said that she had closed her direct messageson Twitter as an “abusive mob” was sending her messages. In another tweetlink, she said: “Delugedwith WhatsApp [sic] messages since yesterday that are abusive andthreatening. Seems an organized hate campaign against some of us. Onesender confirms my mobile number being circulated in groups.”
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In a series of tweets, Dutt shared several phone numbers from which shereceived either abusive calls or messages. She tagged the Delhi Police andUnion Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the tweets warning the abusers of anFIR. She also shared images of unsolicited images that were sent to her onWhatsApp.
Delhi Police official Madhur Verma assured Dutt that the matter will beinvestigated, while Carl Wooglink, the head ofcommunications for WhatsApp, also offered help.
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