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Independent journalist Omar Rashid, who often writes for news media organisations such as The Wire, Outlook and The Hindu, among a few, has been charged with serious allegations of physical, sexual and mental abuse by a woman who shared her ordeal via a social media post.

So far, no police complaint has been filed. However, on Friday, May 23, the National Commission for Women issued a notice to the Delhi Police to take immediate action against the journalist.

‘Masks himself as a progressive feminist’

The woman, whose identity remains undisclosed, shared a detailed and emotionally charged post, alleging she got acquainted with Omar Rashid via Instagram when she was new to Delhi. Her post calls him as a “violent serial assaulter and rapist masquerading as a progressive journalist.”

“I am crying as I write this and my hands are trembling, as I relive every detail of those horrifying days and nights with Omar. But after internalising immense guilt and shame, and understanding that another woman has lived and might be living through this as I am writing this, I want to put out the most shameful and crass details of the hell that he put me through,” she wrote.

The woman alleges that the journalist has a pattern where he uses social media platforms to portray as a progressive feminist. “On his social media, he has built an image of himself as a charming, progressive, pet lover, foodie guy who has lost his mother,” the post reads.

Her post says that their initial Instagram chats would often revolve around progressive politics, emotional intimacy and love. She alleges Omar Rashid would take her to numerous Press Club events in Delhi, but never really acknowledge their relationship to others. “He starts his game by inviting women to walks to the Lodhi Garden. He used to take me to Press Club events as his “trophy friend” (since he refused to acknowledge our relationship publicly), as a token of feminist acquaintance,” reads her post.

‘Pushed, slapped, forced to have unprotected sex’

The woman alleges she underwent immense physical and sexual assault, including “pushed around, kicked, slapped, and almost choked to death.” She further alleges that the journalist insisted on having “unprotected and violent sex.”

“I was always forced to a point where I found myself hiding in the washroom, crying uncontrollably and blood dripping down my thighs. Omar raped me – not once, not twice, but throughout the period I was with him,” he post reads.

The woman states that numerous times, Omar Rashid allegedly recorded her when she was mentally down, in an attempt to portray her “hysterical.”

“Numerous times that I was forced into sex, I was chronically unwell and unwilling. At those times, Omar would then force me to beg him for forgiveness, while he laughed and ate in front of me like nothing had happened. This happened while he kept chatting with other women on his phone,” her post reads.

The woman said that because of unprotected sex, she was afraid of getting pregnant or catching sexually transmitted diseases (STDs).

“On all the occasions, he refused to use a condom to assert his power over me. I had to deal with being forcefully impregnated at all occasions, and I kept visiting the gynaecologist secretly, because he would not allow me to seek treatment. Apart from pregnancy scares, because he was constantly cheating on me (sleeping with other women since we were not in a relationship), I always lived in fear of getting STDs. I had rashes and yeast infections, and hormonal imbalances caused by regularly taking I-pills. As stated before, I had to seek medical help secretly, since I was made to believe by Omar that I was hysterical in all my pregnancy and STD scares,” she stated in the post.

‘Forced to eat beef’

The woman, who later describes herself as a non-Muslim, also alleges that the journalist would force her to consume beef, to “test her secularism.”

“I used to puke every time I was forced into it (consuming beef), and he derived a sadistic pleasure out of that the same way in which he derived pleasure from seeing me beg on his feet, so that he does not describe the imagery of him having sex with my mother. He also used to make me imagine having sex with my male friends and colleagues- especially the older ones. It was more traumatising because those men were the age of my grandfather”, the post read.

The woman recounted how Omar Rashid frequently highlighted her identity as a non-Muslim and contrasted it with his own background as a Kashmiri Muslim. He insisted that their relationship remain secret to avoid being labelled as part of ‘love jihad’, a term used to allege the deliberate targeting of non-Muslim women by Muslim men.

She explained that this narrative, combined with her fear of stoking communal tensions, kept her silent for a long time. However, after discovering that other women might have faced similar abuse, she chose to speak out. She framed her experience not just as a personal #MeToo moment, but as part of a collective #WeToo movement, aiming to shed light on a broader pattern of exploitation.

Do not communalise my pain: Victim

However, the woman stressed that her traumatic experience should not be labelled as communal or an ethnic issue, and instead hold the journalist accountable for his actions as an individual.

“I want to make this clear that this is not to be seen as a communal or ethnic issue- what Omar kept repeating throughout by proclaiming his Kashmiri Muslim identity, but rather an account of one person who chose to weaponise all of this to get sadistic pleasure out of this by tormenting young progessive women, while guilt-tripping them into silence because they would play into the hindutva hands by calling him out,” her post concluded.

Will conduct inquiry: The Wire

The Wire, where Omar Rashid is a regular contributor, has responded that it will initiate an inquiry into the allegations.

“The Wire has taken serious note of the grave allegations against Mr. Omar Rashid, who has been contributing to The Wire for the past couple of years as an independent journalist. We will be conducting an inquiry as per relevant laws and procedures applicable in the matter and decide on how best to move forward to address the allegations raised in the post,” the online news media outlet released a statement on May 21.

Hindutva handlers give Islamophobic twist; Victim calls out

Despite her post mentioning that her alleged abuse and trauma she faced from Omar Rashid should not be given a communal spin, many right-wing Hindutva handlers were quick to call it ‘love jihad’ and target The Wire, with whom Omar Rashid is associated.

When the woman uploaded another post calling out these handlers for politicising her pain for their vested interest, she met with a barrage of hate and slut shaming.

“It’s heartbreaking to witness my words being twisted to stoke Islamophobia and fuel hatred against The Wire, a platform that has stood for ethical, credible journalism in this country. Let me be clear: this is not about religion. It is not about Kashmiri. Not about being Muslim. Not even about being a man. It is about patriarchy, an epidemic of predatory entitlement that exists around all of us.”