Blocked By Twitter, The New Indian’s Editor-in-Chief Aarti Tikoo Says She Will Not Delete Tweet

NEW DELHI: Even after a week of being blocked by Twitter, the Editor-in-Chief of The New Indian, Aarti Tikoo has said that she will not delete the tweet that invited the suspension of her access to her Twitter handle.

In a long Facebook post, while explaining her decision, she wrote that she is not guilty of the crimes that she has been accused of by Twitter. She also mentioned that her family including herself are vulnerable targets because she has been speaking the truth about Kashmir for the last two decades. The Editor also added that Twitter did not convey officially as to why they blocked her account, though many assumed that it is because she used words like “jihadi” & “Islamists” in her tweet. To which she questioned if Twitter has blocked Muslim reformers or Western academics, media, political scientists and linguists who coined the words ‘Islamism’ and ‘Islamist’.

In a tweet dated December 15, senior journalist Tikoo, had sought protection for her brother who was being threatened by jihadis on Twitter Spaces.

“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,” she tweeted.

In a follow up tweet that Aarti had posted on December 15, which is still visible in her twitter handle, she accused the social media platform for allowing Pakistan sponsored terrorists to use Twitter Spaces for terror related activites, to threaten Indians. In her tweet she also questioned the government for its inaction.

“Quite clear@Twitter @TwitterIndiais allowing Pakistan sponsored terrorists to use @TwitterSpaces for terror related activities, to threaten Indians & to hatch conspiracies to kill Kashmiri Hindus like @TikooSahil_in Kashmir. India @GoI_MeitY @MIB_Indiais sleeping & paralysed.”

The social media platform blocked our Editor’s Twitter handle under ‘violation of rules against hateful conduct’ and asked her to delete the tweet in order to unblock her account. Our Editor declined Twitter’s condition to unblock her account saying that her family and siblings are victims of Islamist terror.

“Twitter can unblock me on the condition that I delete my tweet about the death threats issued by Islamists to my brother, Sahil Tikoo. Twitter can keep me blocked for the rest of my life for all I care. But I will NOT delete the tweet. My family and siblings are the victims of Islamist terror. I am the victim here, not Islamists whom Twitter panders to.”

Several notable social media influencers, journalists and other notable personalities like Anand Ranganathan, Smitha Prakash, Rahul Shivshankar came out in support of Aarti Tikoo since her account was blocked by Twitter.