Vishwanath asks police to investigate alleged threats and harassment

Indian citizen Divya Vishwanath, whose proposed Latvian citizenship was first approved by parliament and then revoked a week later, has asked police to investigate alleged threats and harassment, LSM reported. The State Police confirmed to the LETA news agency that she filed a complaint.

In a statement issued on behalf of her family, Vishwanath said she approached police on October 26, asking them to assess what she described as a public campaign of defamation and harassment, threats, the spread of false information and racist remarks on social media.

Copies of the complaint were also sent to the State Security Service, the Prosecutor General’s Office and the ombudsman. The statement said the public discussion had turned into insults and threats affecting Vishwanath’s family, including her underage son.

Vishwanath said she was prepared to provide state institutions with documents and explanations about her professional and scientific work. She said she did not want to restrict freedom of expression or professional criticism, but wanted law enforcement agencies to assess possible violations and risks to her family’s safety.

LETA said it had asked Vishwanath to comment on questions about her education and professional work but had not received a response and had so far been unable to contact her.

Parliament voted on October 15 to grant Vishwanath Latvian citizenship. The decision came under scrutiny after social media posts raised questions about information she had provided about herself. Parliament revoked its decision on October 22. Vishwanath’s husband, Kanan Vishwanath, has been a Latvian citizen since 2023.