In a shocking incident photographs of more than 100 Muslim women, including prominent actress wife of a sitting judge of Delhi High Court, multiple journalists, activists and politicians were displayed on the app “Bulli Bai” for auction.
“Bulli Bai” popped up on January 1, with a number of pictures of women including journalists, social workers, students, and famous personalities, accompanied by derogatory content.
Hosting platform Github provided space to “Sulli Deals” and “Bulli Bai” is also created on Github.
“Bulli Bai” was also being promoted by a Twitter handle with the name @bullibai, and saying women can be booked from the app.
Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi said that she raised the matter with Mumbai Police and the culprit should be arrested at the earliest.
“I have spoken to Mumbai Police Commissioner and DCP Crime Rashmi Karandikar. They will investigate the matter. I have also spoken to DGP Maharashtra for intervention. Hoping those behind such misogynistic and sexist sites will be apprehended,” she said.
Muslim Women Targeted Again.
Quratulain Rehbar, a journalist from Kashmir is among the women targeted. Rehbar, who had previously reported on the “Sulli Deals” auction in July last year, told Al Jazeera she was shocked to see her photograph on the app.
“When I saw my photograph, my throat got heavy, I had goosebumps on my arms and I was numb. It was shocking and humiliating,” she said.
While there was no real sale involved, the online application – created on Microsoft-owned open software development site GitHub – was, according to Rehbar, intended “to degrade and humiliate vocal Muslim women”.
The app was taken down on Saturday, with victims saying the interface of the GitHub extension on “Bulli Bai” was strikingly similar to the one used by “Sulli Deals”.
By Saturday evening, dozens of other Muslim women began posting their shock and outrage on social media after seeing their photographs and details on the app.
Among them was Ismat Ara, a journalist in the capital, New Delhi.
Ara filed a complaint on Saturday with the Delhi Police against “unknown people” for harassing and insulting Muslim women on social media “using doctored pictures in unacceptable and lewd context”.
Based on her complaint, a first information report (FIR) was registered by Delhi Police’s Cyber Crime Unit on Sunday, invoking various sections of the Indian Penal Code that pertain to promoting enmity on grounds of religion, threatening national integration and sexual harassment of women.
Even Fatima Nafees, 65-year-old mother of disappeared student Najeeb Ahmed, and Pakistani Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai were not spared by the perpetrators behind the app.
Will Action Be Taken This Time?
Fatima Zohra Khan, a lawyer based in Mumbai whose name figured in both “Sulli” and “Bulli Bai” deals, had also filed a complaint with Mumbai police last year.
“We got no response from Twitter, GitHub and Go-Daddy [web hosting company] despite Mumbai Police themselves requesting them to reveal data. These websites refuse to share information unless a court warrant is produced,” she told Al Jazeera.
Shiv Sena leader and Rajya Sabha member Priyanka Chaturvedi said that she raised the matter with Mumbai Police and the culprit should be arrested at the earliest.
“I have spoken to Mumbai Police Commissioner and DCP Crime Rashmi Karandikar. They will investigate the matter. I have also spoken to DGP Maharashtra for intervention. Hoping those behind such misogynistic and sexist sites will be apprehended,” she said.
Mumbai Police said that they were looking into the matter and were taking legal opinion to lodge the case under the relevant section of the IPC.
When “Sulli Deal” appeared, two FIRs were lodged against unknown persons. However, no arrests were made and the culprits are still at large.
