Update: Sources in the Times of India tell OpIndia that Maria Khan left her job with the publication on 18th November 2021. Since, she continues to use the Times of India name in her Twitter bio, which is prohibited as per the terms of the agreement, TOI is contemplating taking legal action against Maria Khan.
An archive version of her Twitter profile can be accessed here.
A day after the incident of the attack on a minor girl surfaced in Uttar Pradesh’s Jhansi, Maria Khan, who worked as a journalist at the Times of India targeted the mother of the victim and hinted that she might be lying in the case. Giving a brief statement to the media, the mother of the minor girl stated on July 12 that the accused had been harassing the victim for the past two years and executed the attack when the girl refused to accept his offer of a ‘friendship’.
“The boy was troubling her for the past two years means these people tolerated the harassment for two years. And this is when the govt is scooping hardly against a particular community and not leaving any chance to terrify them. They didn’t approach the police, sat back, and watched their daughter being harassed! OK”, Maria Khan tweeted.
Maria Khan through her tweet tried to insinuate that the girl’s mother is lying while making her allegations, might have given fake statements in the case, and might have built up the case with a specific purpose.
Meanwhile, netizens slammed the journalists for defending the accused and blaming the victim instead. “Wow, simply wow. She still doesn’t know how people try to survive in their life and ignore things as much as possible. All things aside, she can’t even have an ounce of empathy for that girl but for Danish”, one of the users said adding that the journalist was just encouraging similar-minded people to execute things the way Danish did.
Wow, simply wow. She still doesn’t know how people try to survive in their life and ignore things as much as possible.
— Anon (@Hail2Hell) July 12, 2022
All thing aside, she can’t even have an ounce empathy for that girl but for Danish, she is just encouraging their kind to do things like that.
Another user slammed the journalist for not understanding the plight of the women. “And she calls herself a woman..”, he said. One of the users also said that the Khan was defending the accused as if he was her brother. “Shame victim, parents, and govt except the accused. Now you can guess which community is accused from without reading the news”, the tweet read.
अपने आप को औरत बोलती है ये ।।। आक थू ।।
— Amlan Jha (@jha_amlan) July 12, 2022
Proud journalist of @timesofindia
— Mallik (@mallik_hyd) July 12, 2022
Shame victim, parents and govt except the accused. Now you can guess which community is accused from without reading the news. pic.twitter.com/UUcwCNxGxo
Yet, another Twitter user also found it hard to digest the fact that a woman was blaming another woman for the attack she survived. “Not everyone has a Twitter account and can play the victim card. Being a woman, people should at least support another woman in such condition but they won’t because of their biased nature”, the tweet read.
Not everyone has twitter account & can play victim card.
— *ANIMESH* (@naadan07) July 12, 2022
Being a women , people should atleast support another women in such condition but they won’t bec of biased nature.
In a shocking incident, a 12th-class girl on Monday was attacked with a blade by Danish Khan while the girl was on her way to the tuition classes. Danish attacked her on her face and neck and then escaped from the scene. The injured girl was transferred from the Civil Hospital to the Medical College, where she remains in critical condition. The doctors have treated several injuries on her face and neck. The victim is said to have received 31 stitches.
The victim’s mother revealed that the accused had been harassing her daughter for the past two years. “He had obtained her phone number from the coaching center. He kept calling from several numbers. He used to put pressure on her to start a ‘friendship’ with him. Every day on her way to coaching, he used to harass her”, she said in the statement.
“He used to threaten her as well. My daughter did not tell anyone in the home anything because she was afraid. He attacked when my daughter refused to speak to him. Danish is about 8 to 10 years older than my daughter, ” the victim’s mother further remarked. Reports mention that three teams have been constituted to arrest Danish who is on run, and they are undertaking raids to apprehend him.
