'Bulli Bai': The malcontents of a poisoned society

Another reprehensible threshold has been breached with the online ‘sale’ of over 100 Muslim women on an app hosted on the Github platform. That shows a meeting of misogyny and anti-minorityism in a novel and shocking form. These acts extend the limits of insult and offence, with every new incident plumbing further depths of depravity. The communal and sexist Bulli Bai app is not the first instance of targeted harassment of Muslim women. It has appeared six months after the ‘Sulli Deals’ app and website had publicly made available pictures of Muslim women describing them as ‘deals of the day’. Most of those who are targeted are women who have a presence on social media, including journalists and professionals, and many images are doctored and photoshopped. It is clear that the smear and sleaze campaign is an organised one and cannot be seen as ordinary cybercrime.

Separate investigations have been launched by Mumbai and Delhi police and one person has reportedly been arrested. The Mumbai cyber police have booked the Bulli Bai app developers and Twitter account holders. But the investigation into Sulli Deals has not made much progress, and the taking down of the app should not be the end of the matter. It may be possible to leave no trails of crimes and to hide deep in the internet terrain, but the government has the power and resources to track such criminals and catch them. Everyone who is involved in these nefarious crimes should be immediately arrested and punished after speedy trials. Cyberspace has abounded in crimes against women and has been a haven for perverts and assorted offenders of various types including misogynists. Cybercrimes have been steadily increasing in the country and over 2,300 cases were reported in 2020. But cases that were not reported could be many multiples of that number.

What is involved in the latest instances is not just a poor and wrong attitude to women but an especially hostile and degrading attitude towards women of the minority community. The psychology is similar to that of marauding armies in enemy territories. Women are insulted, dehumanised and attacked and a perverse satisfaction is derived from shameful and outrageous comments about them and actions against them. These are inspired and sustained by a toxic ecosystem that is sought to be generated against the minorities. The lack of effective action against the offenders encourages them and others. It is not only a case of poor law enforcement. These offences are part of a politics that is thriving and becoming the norm in the country. It should be noted that there is no strong denunciation of these activities from the top echelons of power in the country.

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