Aarti Tikoo's brother & BJYM spokesperson receives death threats online; FIR registered

Kashmiri journalist ⁦Aarti Tikoo's brother and BJP Yuva Morcha spokesperson Sahil Tikoo allegedly received death threats by some miscreants during an audio conversation on Twitter Spaces. According to an FIR registered by the Srinagar Police, Sahil Tikoo entered a Twitter Space with an account named 'Stop Innocent Killings' on December 14, when some persons began to threaten him with his life. Some even called him a 'collaborator' or 'agent', said Tikoo. 

The J&K BJP Yuva Spokesperson urged the Srinagar SSP to identify the culprits and take legal action against them.  Sahil Tikoo is a Kashmiri Pandit, residing in Srinagar and his sister Aarti Tikoo is the editor in chief of “The New Indian”.

Aarti Tikoo's Twitter blocked for seeking brother's protection

Notably, Twitter had recently restrained Aarti Tikoo's account for tweeting about the alleged death threats received by her brother. In the post, dated December 15, she sought protection from the Home Ministry for Sahil Tikoo. However, the tweet was deleted by the microblogging site for 'violation of rule' against 'hateful conduct.'

 “My brother Sahil Tikoo who lives in Srinagar is being openly threatened by jihadis terrorists sitting in Kashmir-India, their handles in Pakistan, the UK, and the US. Is anyone watching? Are we sitting ducks waiting to be shot dead by Islamists or will you crack down on them? HMO India," the journalist had tweeted. 

Twitter flagged the account citing its rules against hateful speech, under which, users are not allowed to "promote violence against, threaten or harass other people on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, religious affiliation, age, disability or serious disease."

The move was criticized by several journalists and media personalities who slammed Twitter for muffling the voices of victims in Kashmir. Author Anand Ranganathan said the restriction was outrageous and demanded immediate restoration of Aarti Tikoo's account. Similar voices were raised by ANI News Editor Smita Prakash and defence analyst Abhijit Iyer-Mitra.