Kashmiri journalist Quratulain Rehbar has been targeted by online abuse and doxxing after her report on West Bengal’s voter list revision was published in Nikkei Asia.
Rehbar, an independent journalist who has contributed to global platforms like Al Jazeera, faced a wave of hateful comments on social media, with several users targeting her identity as a Kashmiri Muslim woman.
The backlash followed her report on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in West Bengal, a process that has already sparked political controversy.
Hate Comments Target Identity, Allegations of “Fake News”
Several social media users 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.”
Cvckmiri Svlli wrote this https://t.co/H4ziNxkysj pic.twitter.com/2l8WA7cYzj
— Kárm (࿗ कर्मदीपसिंह गोहिल ☀️) (@Karm482) April 28, 2026
Another user used derogatory slurs, while others dismissed her report as “fake news” and claimed the voter list revision was a routine exercise to remove “dead, duplicate and migrated voters.”
A post from another account read, “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 carried political messages, with one user writing, “Kashmir shall never be free since it’s an integral part of India,” linking the journalist’s identity to unrelated political issues.
Supporters Condemn Targeting and Doxxing
Amid the abuse, several journalists and social media users came out in support of Rehbar, condemning the attacks and alleged doxxing.
One user, @_sabahgurmat, described the reaction as “utterly chilling,” and said, “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 added that the backlash came simply because the issue was reported in international media, saying, “All for reporting plain facts… because how dare it get covered globally?”
Debate Over Voter Roll Revision Continues
The controversy is linked to the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision in West Bengal, which reportedly led to the removal of lakhs of names from voter rolls.
While opposition parties have raised concerns about possible disenfranchisement, authorities have maintained that deletions are carried out only for valid reasons such as death, duplication, migration, or ineligible entries.
