London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, May 31, 2025

Outrage as Indian journalist stopped from boarding London flight

Outrage as Indian journalist stopped from boarding London flight

Ayyub stopped at Mumbai airport while flying to Europe to speak about intimidation of journalists in the world’s largest democracy.

A prominent Indian journalist and activist says she has been barred from boarding a flight to London where she was scheduled to address an event on targeting of journalists in the world’s largest democracy.

Rana Ayyub, a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government, was due to take the London flight on Tuesday and then to Italy to attend different events.

Ayyub tweeted that immigration officials at Mumbai airport stopped her from boarding the flight.


Ayyub said she also received a summons via email from the Enforcement Directorate (ED), which investigates financial crimes, an hour after she reached the airport.

The ED, controlled by the federal government, is investigating the 37-year-old Washington Post columnist for alleged money laundering and froze her bank account last month.

“I was told I have to go back home,” Ayyub told The Indian Express newspaper on Wednesday.

“I was supposed to receive an award and also address the newsroom of the Guardian newspaper. My entire plan has been public all this while and I have always been in touch with ED.”

The Indian Express, quoting ED sources, said Ayyub was stopped from taking the flight because she had responded to only one of the two summons, following which the lookout circular was issued against her.

However, Ayyub told the daily she had already submitted the documents asked for by the ED.

ED officials did not respond to Al Jazeera’s queries about the case against Ayyub. However, Kavinder Gupta, a politician belonging to Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleged that “people (like Ayyub) take money from foreign agencies to create disturbances in the country.

“It is important that all her connections are thoroughly investigated. The Enforcement Directorate is probing her and till the time the investigation has not reached its conclusion, she should not be allowed to leave the country,” Gupta told Al Jazeera.

Ayyub was scheduled to speak on April 1 at an event organised by the International Center for Journalists (ICFJ), Doughty Street Chambers and the International Bar Association.

“All these events with @julieposetti @DoughtyStIntl @journalismfest have been planned and publicised all over my social media for weeks. Yet, curiously the enforcement directorate summon arrived in my mail much after I was stopped at the immigration. What do you fear?” she tweeted.

Ayyub has been told to appear on Friday for questioning in connection with the case, Indian media reports said.

Ayyub, author of a book on the 2002 pogrom in Modi’s home state of Gujarat, has been a victim of relentless attacks – including rape threats – by members of right-wing Hindu groups for her reports and columns, mainly on the persecution of Muslims in India.

Last month, human rights experts at the United Nations urged the Indian authorities to investigate “relentless misogynistic and sectarian” attacks on social media against her.

The Washington Post also issued a full-page advertisement in her support, saying “the free press is under attack in India.”


Journalists from across the world and media watchdogs have condemned India’s actions and called on the authorities to allow the journalist to travel freely for her work.

Julie Posetti, Global Director of Research at ICFJ and a leading expert on online violence against women journalists, was Ayyub’s co-speaker a the London event.

“Indian authorities are trying to criminalise Rana Ayyub’s journalism practice,” she told Al Jazeera.

“They are now seeking to restrict her movement as well as her journalism and her press freedom advocacy as a direct response to her critical reporting of the Modi government and far-right Hindu nationalism.”

Posetti said the grounding of Rana Ayyub is a “direct retaliatory attack on her rights to practice journalism and advocate for press freedom”.

She said the organisers are thinking about postponing the London event.

“But we very much hope that the Indian authorities urgently reverse the spurious decision to prevent Rana Ayyub from travelling to the UK,” she told Al Jazeera.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) also said the travel restrictions were “the latest example of growing pressure against her”.


Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Satirical Sketch Sparks Political Spouse Feud in South Korea
Indonesia Quarry Collapse Leaves Multiple Dead and Missing
South Korean Election Video Pulled Amid Misogyny Outcry
Asian Economies Shift Away from US Dollar Amid Trade Tensions
Netflix Investigates Allegations of On-Set Mistreatment in K-Drama Production
US Defence Chief Reaffirms Strong Ties with Singapore Amid Regional Tensions
Vietnam Faces Strategic Dilemma Over China's Mekong River Projects
Malaysia's First AI Preacher Sparks Debate on Islamic Principles
White House Press Secretary Criticizes Harvard Funding, Advocates for Vocational Training
France to Implement Nationwide Smoking Ban in Outdoor Spaces Frequented by Children
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
Russia's Fossil Fuel Revenues Approach €900 Billion Since Ukraine Invasion
U.S. Justice Department Reduces American Bar Association's Role in Judicial Nominations
U.S. Department of Energy Unveils 'Doudna' Supercomputer to Advance AI Research
U.S. SEC Dismisses Lawsuit Against Binance Amid Regulatory Shift
Alcohol Industry Faces Increased Scrutiny Amid Health Concerns
Italy Faces Population Decline Amid Youth Emigration
U.S. Goods Imports Plunge Nearly 20% Amid Tariff Disruptions
OpenAI Faces Competition from Cheaper AI Rivals
Foreign Tax Provision in U.S. Budget Bill Alarms Investors
Trump Accuses China of Violating Trade Agreement
Gerry Adams Wins Libel Case Against BBC
Russia Accuses Serbia of Supplying Arms to Ukraine
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
Chinese Woman Dies After Being Forced to Visit Bank Despite Critical Illness
President Trump Grants Full Pardons to Reality TV Stars Todd and Julie Chrisley
Texas Enacts App Store Accountability Act Mandating Age Verification
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Vatican Calls for Sustainable Tourism in 2025 Message
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Trump Threatens 25% Tariff on iPhones Amid Dispute with Apple CEO
Putin's Helicopter Reportedly Targeted by Ukrainian Drones
Liverpool Car Ramming Incident Leaves Multiple Injured
Australia Faces Immigration Debate Following Labor Party Victory
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
Macron Dismisses Viral Video of Wife's Gesture as Playful Banter
Cleveland Clinic Study Questions Effectiveness of Recent Flu Vaccine
Netanyahu Accuses Starmer of Siding with Hamas
Junior Doctors Threaten Strike Over 4% Pay Offer
Labour MPs Urge Chancellor to Tax Wealthy Over Cutting Welfare
Publication of UK Child Poverty Strategy Delayed Until Autumn
France Detains UK Fishing Vessel Amid Post-Brexit Tensions
Calls Grow to Resume Syrian Asylum Claims in UK
Nigel Farage Pledges to Reinstate Winter Fuel Payments
Boris and Carrie Johnson Welcome Daughter Poppy
×