Harassment for Sand Mafia Coverage Continues: Sandhya Ravishankar

Senior Journalist Sandhya Ravishankar says she has been facing online harassment since 2017.

Senior Journalist Sandhya Ravishankar harassed and stalked for exposing the sand mafia of Tamil Nadu.

(Photo Courtesy: Twitter) 

Chennai-based senior Journalist Sandhya Ravishankar who published a four-part series about the sand mafia of Tamil Nadu on The Wire in 2017 has alleged that she is being harassed by supporters of S Vaikundarajan.

Vaikundarajan owns one of the country’s largest sand mining conglomerates in the country.

According to The Wire, she had written a letter to the Press Council of India stating that:

“I have been harassed online with trolls on social media using foul language against me, calling me a ‘corrupt’ journalist, a ‘fake’ journalist etc. My mobile number was published on Twitter and Facebook by the anonymous trolls supporting Mr S Vaikundarajan, the largest beach sand miner in the country (refer to Part 03 for details about him) – my mobile number was published with a note in Tamil saying that I was ‘anti-Jallikattu’ and asking people ‘not to call her’.”

Ravishankar is among the many women journalists, including Rana Ayyub, who has faced harassment online. She says her social media has been inundated by rape and death threats ever since her reports were published.

“I received a flood of abusive and threatening calls – unknown people threatening to put chilli powder inside my private parts, threatening to beat me up and abusing me in the filthiest manner possible.”

Sandhya Ravishankar

When the stalking and harassment started in 2017, she had filled a police complaint, but no action was taken thereafter she alleged.

In a Twitter thread, she listed everything that has happened after her reports were published, and shed light on police apathy as well.