*Trigger Warning: Sexual Harassment, Islamophobia*
India is a secular and democratic country and there is no doubt about it. But some people always try to change the idea of India by giving hateful speeches, writing unwelcoming posts on social media or bullying in the comments on the basis of religion. India is an idea of secularism, democracy, love, peace, humanity and religion. No one can change it.
On 4 July, 2021, we witnessed a very shameful act where an app named “Sulli Deals” was discovered and the photos of Muslim women were made available for auction. A few people shared the pictures on Twitter titled “Sulli Deal Of the Day”. There was an outrage in Muslim and other communities.
DCW Chief @SwatiJaiHind has issued notice to the Delhi Police in the #SulliDeals matter where pictures of several Muslim women were displayed on a web platform terming them as “Sulli Deal of the Day”. pic.twitter.com/GkzhSa6GjG
— Delhi Commission for Women – DCW (@DCWDelhi) July 7, 2021
The app shared pictures of Muslim women to auction them. “Sulli” is a derogatory term used by some for Muslim women. The app was uploaded on the repository hosting service called GitHub. GitHub is essentially a hosting platform with a repository of open-source codes.
Now, the Editors Guild of India has said that it was was deeply concerned that images of Muslim women were put up “for auction” online and shared via social media in a shameful way. They raised concerns about the misuse of social media platforms to harass women journalists.
“This vile attack is symptomatic of underlying misogyny in some sections of the society, especially against Muslim women as well as those who have been outspoken critics of the current government,” it said.
Erica Brescia, Chief Operating Officer at GitHub, confirmed on Twitter that the app has been removed. However, no formal statement has been issued.
Now, Delhi police have registered a case against the “Sulli Deals” App. The cybercrime unit of Delhi police on Thursday registered a case. The Delhi Police in a statement said, “Acting on a complaint received on National Cybercrime Reporting Portal regarding Sulli Deals Mobile Application, a case under section 354-A of IPC has been registered by Cyber Crime Unit and investigation taken up.”
According to the Police, a notice has been sent to GitHub to share the required details. Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) issued a notice to the Delhi police after which action was taken.