Publish Date: | Mon, 21 Feb 2022 10:18 PM (IST)
India has strongly objected to the tweet of the UN in support of journalist Rana Ayyub. In fact, it was tweeted from the Twitter handle of UN Geneva that judicial harassment against journalist Rana Ayyub should be ended immediately. India reacted sharply to this and told the United Nations in clear words that no one is above the law. India also said that propagating a misleading story only tarnishes the reputation of the United Nations. The Indian mission in Geneva reacted on Twitter, saying that “the allegations of so-called judicial harassment are baseless and unwarranted. India upholds the rule of law, but is equally clear that no one is above the law.”
Judicial harassment are baseless & unwarranted. India upholds rule of law but is equally clear that no one is above law. We expect SRs to be accurately informed.Advancing a misleading narrative only tarnishes UN Geneva’s reputation:Permanent Mission of India in Geneva pic.twitter.com/y9YwMqsOur
— ANI (@ANI) February 21, 2022
In fact, in the money laundering case, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) had attached Rs 1.77 crore of Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub. Rana Ayyub has been accused of allegedly misusing funds received through online crowdfunding platforms for personal use. ED is probing the matter. Meanwhile, the United Nations raised the issue. The UN alleged that Rana Ayyub is constantly being subjected to hate and communal attacks for being a woman. At the same time, they are being subjected to judicial harassment, which should be ended immediately.
Relentless misogynistic and sectarian attacks online against journalist @RanaAyyub must be promptly and thoroughly investigated by the #Indian The authorities and the judicial harassment against her brought to an end at once, stress @UN_SPExperts, pic.twitter.com/5jzUWA4V48
— UN Geneva (@UNGeneva) February 21, 2022
Why is the investigation going on against Rana Ayyub?
A person named Vikas Sankrityayan had given a complaint against Rana Ayyub to the Uttar Pradesh Police. He had alleged that Rana Ayyub had raised donations in the name of helping Corona patients and flood victims in some eastern states. Rana Ayyub raised an amount of 2,69,44,680 on Keto. But Job put a large amount of it in the bank accounts of his sister and father and then it was withdrawn. He deposited only Rs 74.50 lakh in PM Cares Fund and CM Relief Fund out of about 2.5 crores. The Indirapuram police station in Ghaziabad had registered a case against Rana Ayyub.
The ED has been probing the matter since September 2021. According to the ED, the money was raised in the name of charity in a completely pre-planned and systematic manner. After that instead of using it for relief work, Rana Ayyub opened a separate current bank account and put this amount in it. The ED also claims that Rana Ayyub received foreign donations without any approval under the FCRA (Foreign Contribution Regulation Act), which is mandatory for receiving any funding from abroad. Later ED seized Rs 1.77 crore of this account.
Rana Ayyub was a journalist in Tehelka magazine. Ayyub resigned from there after Tehalta editor Tarun Tejpal was accused of sexual harassment. Since then, she has been writing articles in various newspapers and magazines through independent journalism.
Posted By: Shailendra Kumar