The Delhi Police have registered an FIR (First Information Report) under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), and 354A (Punishment for sexual harassment) against unknown people for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Muslim women during a session on the Clubhouse app.
Earlier, the Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) had on Tuesday, January 18, sought immediate registration of an FIR over the incident. ”Someone tagged me on Twitter the detailed audio conversation on the Clubhouse app which targeted Muslim women and girls and made disgusting sexual comments against them," DCW chief Swati Maliwal said, demanding punitive action against the alleged persons.
On Monday, a video of a Clubhouse conversation on the topic 'Muslim gals are more beautiful than hindu gals' went viral on social media. In the said conversation, the participants were allegedly heard making obscene, vulgar and derogatory remarks targeting Muslim women and girls.
The Commission asked the police to register an FIR immediately and arrest the accused participants. "The Delhi Police has been given five days to submit a detailed action taken report to the Commission," Maliwal said.
"First Sulli deals, then Bulli bai and now indecent sexual remarks against Muslim girls on the Clubhouse app! How long will this go on?," the DCW chief asked through social media.
Maliwal further stated that she feels outraged over the fact that such incidents are increasing in the country.
"Strongest action needs to be taken against the culprits and that's why I have issued a notice to Delhi Police seeking immediate FIR and arrests in the matter," the DCW chief added.
‘Sulli deals’ was an app where hundreds of Muslim women were listed for ‘auction’ with photographs of them posted on the app. The photos were sourced and uploaded without permission from the women and some were even morphed.
The First Information Report (FIR) in this case was registered in July 2021. However, it took over five months for any arrest to be made in the case. The Delhi police arrested a man named Aumkareshwar Thakur who is a 26-year-old BCA (Bachelors in Computer Applications) graduate from Indore, Madhya Pradesh.
‘Bulli Bai’ app too, uploaded images of several Muslim women including politicians, activists and journalists for ‘auction.’ Additionally, the app had also linked the social media handles of the women in the app.