“Since the evening of 14 August 2020, I have been receiving violent threats to my life and body, and I am extremely disturbed by the relentless harassment meted out to me by the accused persons,” Das wrote in her police grievance. “The content, which even includes my photograph, is evidently threatening to my life and body and I fear for my safety as well as that of my family members. The content also maligns my reputation based on a news article and I am subjected to name-calling, cyber bullying and [sexual harassment] online.”
As of Tuesday morning, a few of the tweets appeared to have been deleted, however a few of the Facebook accounts behind the abuse have been nonetheless energetic. Das’s Instagram account was additionally focused by folks calling for her to be hanged.
“Even women’s rights groups and the feminists won’t be able to save you if you don’t mend your ways,” one of many threats on Facebook stated in Hindi.
Anyesh Roy, who heads the Delhi Police’s cyber crime division, didn’t reply to a request for remark from BuzzFeed News.
Facebook spokesperson Andy Stone declined to remark for this story, however shared an earlier assertion that didn’t particularly title Das.
“We prohibit hate speech and content that incites violence and we enforce these policies globally without regard to anyone’s political position or party affiliation,” he stated.
One of Facebook’s prime coverage executives exterior of the US, Das is tightly linked to the BJP, serving to oversee one of many firm’s most vital and populous markets with greater than 300 million customers. A 2016 Guardian article about Facebook’s controversial web entry program, Free Basics, which India banned in 2016 for violating internet neutrality, described her as having fun with “uncommonly good access in Delhi’s corridors of power.”
Former staff who labored with Das immediately previously and who didn’t want to be named described her to BuzzFeed News as a “tough boss.” For years, Das and her workforce operated practically independently of the remainder of the corporate within the nation, reportedly understanding of a $40,000-a-month assortment of suites in a five-star resort in central Delhi, miles away from Facebook’s Indian headquarters within the metropolis of Gurgaon.
“She’s a strong personality,” an individual acquainted with Das advised BuzzFeed News. “She may not be the easiest boss to work with, but I do think her words carry a fair bit of weight within the company.”
“She’s actively involved in Facebook’s business decisions in India,” one other individual acquainted with Das’s work stated.
People near Das who spoke to BuzzFeed News underneath the situation of anonymity stated that conserving politicians glad was a part of her job.
