Journalist Rana Ayyub is a vocal critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Government. She was barred from boarding a flight to London where she was scheduled to address an event on journalists being targeted in the world’s largest democracy.
She was invited as the speaker of The Guardian’s Office. She also planned to go to Italy for International Journalism Festival on April 6 and 7.
She took to her Twitter handle and described the incident. She said that the reason behind stopping her from leaving the country was a lookout notice issued by the Enforcement Directorate. The Financial probe agency has issued a lookout notice against her in connection with a money laundering case. She also stated that she has submitted all the required documents to the ED. She added there was no summon by ED until she got one in the first week of January.
“All documents and each summons were honored”, she said. Ayyub’s Rs. 1.7 crores are seized by the Enforcement Directorate.
The authority accused her of money laundering involving funds she told she was collecting for philanthropic reasons. This all started after the journalist had initiated the fund-raising campaign in which she was aiming to provide food, shelter, and relief to people during the Covid-19 pandemic. After, it was alleged by the authority that she created a fixed deposit of Rs. 50 lakhs instead of diverting it to the relief work from Rs. 2,69,44,680 she raised from the platform Ketto.
Ayyub also authored a book on the 2002 program in Modi’s home state Gujarat. She also has been a victim of relentless attacks – including rape threats by members of right-wing Hindu groups for her reports and columns.
The leading news agency Washing Post also posted a full-page advertisement supporting her, saying “the press is under attack in India’’.
