Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi, Jan 2: Delhi Police registered a case on Sunday after a woman journalist made a complaint stating that she was being targeted by an anonymous gang of people using a smartphone application called ‘Bulli Bai’ created on the GitHub platform.
According to ANI, a section 509 FIR has been filed at the Cyber Police Station in the South East district. This comes six months after police in Delhi registered case in connection with photos of Muslim women being uploaded and “auctioned” on a Github app.
Meanwhile, Minister for Electronics and Information Technology Ashwini Vaishnaw tweeted late Saturday that action had been taken and that the GitHub user behind the “Bulli Bai” app had been stopped, with “more action” being planned.
“This morning, GitHub confirmed that the user has been blocked. Further action is being coordinated by the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) and police authorities “In response to a tweet by Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi, Vaishnaw added.
Shiv Sena MP had asked, “I have repeatedly asked Hon. IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw ji to take stern action against such rampant misogyny and communal targeting of women through #sullideals like platforms. A shame that it continues to be ignored.”
Later, Priyanka Chaturvedi thanked the Union Minister and hoped that the Home Minister’s Office and Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology MEITY will support Mumbai Police to find these culprits.
“Sir, Thank you. With due respect, I had shared with you that besides blocking the platform punishing the offenders creating such sites is important. I hope the Home Minister’s Office and MEITY will support Mumbai Police to find these culprits and make them as well as platforms accountable.”
According to Delhi Police, a woman filed a complaint at the Cyber police station on Sunday, alleging that her photo was uploaded on a website to target her.
The complainant claimed she wanted a FIR filed right away and a probe started right away against unknown people who are harassing and insulting Muslim women on social media and the internet. The matter has been taken into consideration, and concerned officials have been directed to take suitable action, according to the police.
Meanwhile, in her complaint, the woman told police that she was shocked to find out that a website/portal “had a doctored picture of me in an improper, unacceptable and clearly lewd context.”
“Social media being a form of public expression cannot be used to demean and derogate women in general and Muslim women in particular by misogynist sections of society. This is nothing short of online harassment and the tweet referred to herein is per se liable for criminal action,” she said.
“The said ‘github’ is violent, threatening and intending to create a feeling of fear and shame in my mind, as well as in the minds of women in general, and the Muslim community whose women are being targeted in this hateful manner. In fact, this website has been targeting other Muslim women as well,” alleged the complainant.
