Rana Ayyub, a prominent Indian journalist, received alarming death threats from a Canadian phone number. The unidentified caller demanded that Ayyub write a column for the Washington Post praising the Sikh assassins of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, who was killed 41 years ago. The caller warned Ayyub that failure to comply would result in her death.

Ayyub, a contributing opinion writer for the Washington Post and recipient of the International Press Freedom Award in 2024, has faced numerous threats due to her critical reporting on Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On November 2, she received a barrage of audio and video calls from a number with a 753 area code, which is associated with Ottawa. Ayyub chose not to answer, fearing that engaging with the caller could expose her to hackers or compromise her personal information.

Following the initial calls, Ayyub received a series of messages from someone claiming to be affiliated with the Sikh separatist movement. The messages included an image of Lawrence Bishnoi, a gang leader recently designated as a terrorist by the Canadian government. The sender referenced Ayyub’s home address and threatened, "If you don’t write this article, we are going to send shooters to your place to have a premature New Year celebration," Ayyub recounted in an interview from her home in Mumbai.

The threats raised several questions for Ayyub. Bishnoi, who allegedly orchestrates criminal activities from prison, is Hindu, not Sikh. She found it perplexing that someone connected to a Hindu gang would celebrate the assassination of a former prime minister. Additionally, the threats coincided with Ayyub's Instagram post about the anti-Sikh riots that followed Gandhi's assassination, which resulted in thousands of deaths. "If I were to assume that Sikh separatists made the call, why would they do it on the very day that I’m making a call for justice for them?" she asked.

After blocking the number, Ayyub began receiving messages with new codes for her phone accounts, indicating an attempt to access her personal information. The Indian chapter of the Committee to Protect Journalists expressed deep concern over the threats, stating, "Authorities must act swiftly to identify and hold accountable those responsible and ensure the safety of all journalists in India so they can work without fear of intimidation or violence," according to Kunal Majumder, CPJ India’s representative.

Ayyub is no stranger to intimidation. In 2016, she published a book implicating Modi in the 2002 religious violence that killed over 1,000 people, primarily Muslims. In 2018, five UN human rights experts urged the Indian government to protect her from ongoing death threats. Last year, CPJ India reported that Ayyub's phone number had been made public online, and she had been followed and questioned by police during her reporting trips. Officers claimed they were following her for her safety, a measure allegedly ordered by a higher authority.

In response to the recent threats, Ayyub filed a complaint with the Indian police but expressed dissatisfaction with the seriousness of their response. She also contacted the Canadian embassy in India but was only able to leave a voicemail and has not received a reply. An inquiry has been sent to the RCMP in Ottawa regarding their awareness of the situation and any potential actions.

Despite the threats, Ayyub remains resolute. She has not published any articles this week due to the stress of the situation but stated, "I have no intention of giving in to the demands of the unidentified caller, despite the threats to my life." Ayyub considered writing an op-ed about her experience but ultimately decided against it, stating, "I don’t want to give them the limelight, but I do at the same time also want this matter to be investigated."