Mubashir Naik
With the number of increased attacks against journalists and voices of dissent being stifled, Raqib Hameed Naik, a young Kashmir based journalist is fearing for his life after his name was put on a hit list by a website “Stop Hindu Hate Advocacy Network” (SHHAN).
There have been over 198 serious attacks on journalists in the past 5 years in India.
SHHAN labeled Raqib a Hindu hater, terror-sympathiser & supporter of Kashmiri separatism. The group blamed Raqib for lying about new domicile laws in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. He had said that it will alienate local Kashmiris and make them dispossessed.
On 27th of September 2020 Raqib Hameed, Director of website TwoCircles wrote to the Delhi police, complaining about the possible threat to his life.
In his letter to Deputy Commissioner of Police Delhi, IPS Eish Singhal, Raqib pleaded for an FIR against the individuals running SHHAN for defamation by including his name in the hit list of “Hindu haters”.
“As a journalist, I have been committed to covering the stories of minorities and marginalised communities, issues concerning the loss of livelihood, rights violations, immigration, difficulties faced by migrant communities, among various other topics involving human lives and climate change”, Raqib wrote.
“Since the article written by Stop Hindu Hate Advocacy Network group has now painted me as an enemy of Hindus, it jeopardizes my career and puts my life in grave danger. Given the recent lynchings, and attacks on individuals whom a certain section thinks as their enemy, I am apprehensive of a similar attack and I may be targeted while performing my duty as a journalist. This altogether irresponsible article has threatened my freedom to work and live” he wrote further.
The article published by Stop Hindu Hate Advocacy Network has misappropriated the stories I have done, to align them with their agenda and painting critical voices as enemies of Hindus and India. My reports on Rohingya refugees living in sympathy towards terrorism and my coverage of political, social, and conflict related issues in Kashmir has been cited as my tendency towards separatism, which is a blatant lie.”
“I fear that I may be attacked any day by people who mobilize against so-called “anti-India” and “anti-Hindu” forces of which I have also been made part by the Stop Hindu Hate Advocacy Network. It is important here, to remind you that the late journalist Gauri Lankesh, was also branded “Hindu hater” before she was assassinated by right-wing extremists in 2017”.
While talking to The Kashmiriyat, Raqib said “Hitlists like these shouldn’t be taken lightly. These extremist groups have a tendency and capability to organize real world violence apart from running online slander campaigns.”
We live in times when mere rumours can get you killed and this kind of labelling makes a person enemy of nearly one billion people. And as a Kashmiri this puts me in more danger. Anyone can come and bump me off and no one would ever know who did it.”
Raqib has requested Delhi Police to take immediate action under the law against Stop Hindu Hate Advocacy Network.