“Because the night of 14 August 2020, I’ve been receiving violent threats to my life and physique, and I’m extraordinarily disturbed by the relentless harassment meted out to me by the accused individuals,” Das wrote in her police grievance. “The content material, which even consists of my {photograph}, is evidently threatening to my life and physique and I worry for my security in addition to that of my relations. The content material additionally maligns my status based mostly on a information article and I’m subjected to name-calling, cyber bullying and [sexual harassment] on-line.”
As of Tuesday morning, among the tweets appeared to have been deleted, however among the Fb accounts behind the abuse had been nonetheless energetic. Das’s Instagram account was additionally focused by folks calling for her to be hanged.
“Even ladies’s rights teams and the feminists received’t be capable of prevent should you don’t mend your methods,” one of many threats on Fb mentioned in Hindi.
Anyesh Roy, who heads the Delhi Police’s cyber crime division, didn’t reply to a request for remark from BuzzFeed Information.
Fb 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 material that incites violence and we implement these insurance policies globally with out regard to anybody’s political place or get together affiliation,” he mentioned.
One in all Fb’s prime coverage executives exterior of the US, Das is tightly related to the BJP, serving to oversee one of many firm’s most essential and populous markets with greater than 300 million customers. A 2016 Guardian article about Fb’s controversial web entry program, Free Fundamentals, which India banned in 2016 for violating internet neutrality, described her as having fun with “uncommonly good entry in Delhi’s corridors of energy.”
Former workers who labored with Das straight up to now and who didn’t want to be named described her to BuzzFeed Information as a “powerful 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 Fb’s Indian headquarters within the metropolis of Gurgaon.
“She’s a powerful persona,” an individual aware of Das advised BuzzFeed Information. “She might not be the simplest boss to work with, however I do assume her phrases carry a good bit of weight inside the firm.”
“She’s actively concerned in Fb’s enterprise choices in India,” one other individual aware of Das’s work mentioned.
Folks near Das who spoke to BuzzFeed Information beneath the situation of anonymity mentioned that conserving politicians comfortable was a part of her job.
