If India Is the Mother of Democracy, I Am Her Stepson
If India Is the Mother of Democracy, I Am Her Stepson
After the RSF intervention, I am not receiving death threats. However, I keep getting other threats.
The prime minister (PM) of India Narendra Modi claims that India is the mother of democracy. Shockingly, however, this mother is giving me a stepmotherly treatment.
As a journalist and founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation, I run various environment protection, human rights protection, education awareness, and anti-corruption campaigns, and publish digital magazines and research reports on different subjects.
But perhaps the government does not like my work, as my news sites are repeatedly blocked and my social media reach has been completely restricted.
I face death threats for my editorial and anti-corruption work, my house is being demolished by criminals who are protected by courts, I receive multiple legal notices and government expulsion notices to throw me out of my home.
The Paris-based international organization Reporters Without Borders (RSF) that defends freedom of journalists has urged the Indian government to save me from threats and persecution. Christophe Deloire, Secretary-General of RSF, has written letters to the Indian government ministers, asking them to take action against the culprits.
In an article written on its website, RSF explains that I have received multiple threats for my reporting. Although the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) of India had issued notice to the Commissioner of Delhi Police in my case so that I could work and move freely, the police did not take any action to protect me from threats. And the culprits have not been caught, although they have been identified.
After the RSF intervention, I am not receiving death threats. However, I keep getting other threats including false police complaints against me, threats of physical harm to me, expulsion notices, legal notices to implicate me in false cases, and slanderous attacks on my social as well as professional status. Criminals – against whom I have been reporting as a journalist – have even filed a false court case about my editorial work.
Apparently, the external outfits are also being influenced. In March 2023, for example, my editing rights as an editor on Wikipedia were restricted under the pretext of copyright violations when I started adding content to Wikipedia about the alleged financial frauds of Adani Group companies.
A few days ago, when I tried to create the Twitter account for my RMN News Service, Twitter immediately suspended my account without giving any reason. At that time, I had hardly posted a couple of innocuous tweets.
If that was not enough, digital publishing platform Issuu arbitrarily blocked my critical publications on its site without informing me. As a result, I had to stop publishing on Issuu.
Now, I am trying to publish my news stories and digital magazines on another platform, Patreon. But I anticipate that soon Patreon will also start blocking my content.
While I am not deterred and will continue my editorial, human rights, and anti-corruption activities, I urge you to support me in my endeavour so that the “Mother of Democracy” is protected from the onslaught of criminals.
Contact
Rakesh Raman
Editor, RMN News Service [ Website ]
Founder, RMN Foundation [ Website ]
463, DPS Apts., Plot No. 16, Sector 4
Dwarka, Phase I, New Delhi 110 078, India
WhatsApp / Mobile: 9810319059 | Contact by Email
