The Indian Women's Press Corps on Tuesday termed the 'Bulli Bai' app "a well-planned conspiracy" to persecute the minority and promote gender-based violence and it hoped the government will take "strong steps" to stop the " auction of women's respect on the Internet ".
In a statement, it also thanked the Mumbai police for taking "a prompt action" in the case by arresting two accused.
The women journalists' body hoped the police will take "a prompt action" and arrest the accused involved in a similar case of listing of Muslim women for "auction" on the 'Sulli Deals' app that had surfaced in July last year.
"Had the police identified the perpetrators of the infamous 'Sulli Deals' that went online last year, this incident of targeting and terrorising Muslim women would not have recurred and those with nefarious intentions to defame Muslim women would not have become so courageous," it said.
Hundreds of Muslim women were listed for "auction" on the 'Bulli Bai' mobile application with photographs sourced without permission and doctored. It has happened for the second time in less than a year. The app appeared to be a clone of 'Sulli Deals' which triggered a similar row last year.
The Delhi Police on Saturday registered an FIR against unknown persons for allegedly uploading a doctored picture of a woman journalist on a website. The journalist had lodged a complaint and shared a copy on Twitter.
The cyber cell of the Mumbai Police, probing the app case has arrested a 19-year-old woman, alleged to be the main culprit, from Uttarakhand, and a 21-year-old engineering student from Bengaluru.
Vishal Kumar Jha, the student, and co-accused Shweta Singh reportedly knew each other. According to the police, more arrests are likely.
"We are thankful to the Mumbai Police which understood the gravity of the matter and took prompt action," the Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC) said.
The women journalists' body said it was "very unfortunate" that objectionable things were written about Muslim women "through the Bulli Bai app".
"What we understand is that the Bulli Bai app is a well-planned conspiracy to persecute the minority and promote gender-based violence against Muslim women," it said.
"The IWPC strongly condemns this conspiracy against women. We express our solidarity with all of our members who have suffered mental harassment due to this entire episode... we will not allow our voices to be suppressed against violence or injustice against women," it added.
This is the second time that "such a public auction" of Muslim women has taken place, the IWPC said, adding, "It is disturbing (to note) that the accused in such a serious case have not yet been arrested." "We hope that the police will take prompt action in the case of 'Sulli Deals' as well and arrest the accused at the earliest. We also expect the government to take immediate strong steps to stop the auction of women's respect on the Internet," it added.
Last year, Delhi Police and Uttar Pradesh Police had registered separate cases against unidentified persons following a row over the listing of Muslim women with their pictures for "auction" on the 'Sulli Deals' app.
Published - January 05, 2022 02:46 am IST
