Several social media users target her identity as a Kashmiri Muslim woman. They posted abusive and communal remarks while questioning her credibility
NEW DELHI — Kashmiri journalist Quratulain Rehbar has been subjected to online abuse and doxxing after her report on West Bengal’s voter list revision was published in Nikkei Asia, the Japan-based English-language weekly news magazine.
Rehbar, an independent journalist whose work has appeared on global platforms including Al Jazeera, faced a wave of hateful comments on social media. Several users targeted her identity as a Kashmiri Muslim woman.
Netizens posted abusive and communal remarks while questioning her credibility. One user wrote, “Japanese media is about to experience news jihad… Muslims in the media will feed fake news and weaken national security.”
Another used derogatory language, while others dismissed her report as “fake news,” claiming the voter list revision was a routine exercise to remove “dead, duplicate, and migrated voters.”
A post from another account stated, “Meet so-called ‘independent journalist’… pushing a misleading narrative: ‘India deleted 10% voters before polls.’ Reality: this is voter list revision, not suppression.”
Some comments also invoked unrelated political issues. One user wrote, “Kashmir shall never be free since it’s an integral part of India,” linking the journalist’s identity to the Kashmir conflict.
The backlash followed Rehbar’s report on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, a process that has already drawn political controversy.
Amid the abuse, several journalists and social media users voiced support for Rehbar, condemning the attacks and alleged doxxing.
User @_sabahgurmat described the reaction as “utterly chilling,” adding, “Such viciousness against the article! And targeting of the journalist by highlighting that she is Kashmiri, woman, Muslim, hijabi — as if that makes her a target.”
She said the backlash stemmed from the issue being covered by international media: “All for reporting plain facts… because how dare it get covered globally?”
Rehbar’s report examined the Election Commission’s controversial SIR in West Bengal, which reportedly resulted in lakhs of names being deleted from voter rolls.
While opposition parties have flagged concerns over potential disenfranchisement, authorities maintain that deletions are carried out only for valid reasons, including death, duplication, migration, or ineligible entries.
