India rejects UN's allegations of harassment of journalist Rana Ayyub as 'baseless, unwarranted'
New Delhi, Feb 21: Reacting strongly, India on Monday dubbed as "baseless and unwarranted" the allegations by the United Nation's mission in Geneva of "judicial harassment" against journalist Rana Ayyub, and asserted that the country upholds the rule of law and no one is above it.
India's permanent mission in Geneva, in a tweet, said advancing a "misleading narrative" only "tarnishes" the reputation of the UN mission.
"Allegations of so-called judicial harassment are baseless & unwarranted. India upholds the rule of law but is equally clear that no one is above the law. We expect SRs to be objective & accurately informed. Advancing a misleading narrative only tarnishes @UNGeneva's reputation," it said.
Official sources in New Delhi said the matter will be followed up by a note verbale from the Indian mission in Geneva. A note verbale is a diplomatic communication.
"They will also take it up with the UN office in Geneva," a source said.
Earlier, the UN in Geneva tweeted about "relentless misogynistic and sectarian attacks online" against journalist Ayyub.
It quoted UN human rights experts to say that the attacks on Ayyub must be promptly and thoroughly investigated by the Indian authorities and that the judicial harassment against her brought to an end.
"Relentless misogynistic and sectarian attacks online against journalist @RanaAyyub must be promptly and thoroughly investigated by the #Indian authorities and the judicial harassment against her brought to an end at once, stress @UN_SPExperts," the UN Geneva tweeted.
The UN experts quoted by the UN Geneva are Special Rapporteur (SR) on the right to freedom of opinion and expression and Special Rapporteur (SR) on human rights defenders.
Earlier this month, sources in the Enforcement Directorate said the agency has attached over Rs 1.77 crore worth of bank deposits of Ayyub in connection with a money-laundering probe against her linked to alleged irregularities in charitable funds raised from public donors.
Ayyub rejected the allegations, saying money-laundering charges levelled against her are "preposterous and wholly mala fide".
Relentless misogynistic and sectarian attacks online against journalist @RanaAyyub must be promptly and thoroughly investigated by the #Indian 🇮🇳 authorities and the judicial harassment against her brought to an end at once, stress @UN_SPExperts. https://t.co/scIURjpOdn pic.twitter.com/5jzUWA4V48
— UN Geneva (@UNGeneva) February 21, 2022
Allegations of so-called judicial harassment are baseless & unwarranted. India upholds the rule of law, but is equally clear that no one is above the law.
— India at UN, Geneva (@IndiaUNGeneva) February 21, 2022
We expect SRs to be objective & accurately informed. Advancing a misleading narrative only tarnishes @UNGeneva’s reputation https://t.co/3OyHq4HncD
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
