Javed Akhtar Appalled By Modi's Silence Over Bulli Bai

In a recent episode of hate crime against Muslims, veteran playwright Javed Akhtar claimed he was "appalled" by everyone's silence, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi's and his own, over the harassment of Muslim women, whose doctored photographs were published for auction.

Hundreds of Muslim women, including well-known figures, were put up for "auction" on an app called "Bulli Bai," with photos taken without permission and doctored. It's the second time in less than a year that this has happened. Sulli Deals, which caused a similar uproar last year, looked to be a clone of the app.

Akhtar turned to Twitter to express his disappointment at the "silence" surrounding these concerns.

"There is an online auction of a hundred women. There are so-called Dharm Sansads advising the army, police, and people to go for the genocide of almost 200 MLN Indians. I am appalled by everyone's silence, including my own and particularly that of the PM. Is this Sub ka saath?" The 76-year-old tweeted.

Akhtar also spoke out about a Dharma Sansad conducted in Haridwar last month that drew public ire due to purported anti-Muslim hate comments uttered by several attendees. In connection with the incident on Monday, a second FIR was filed against ten people.

Farhan Akhtar, Akhtar's son, also took to Twitter to condemn the "sickening" behaviour of putting women up for "auction," which first surfaced on Saturday.

"This is sickening! Request authorities to take swift and strict action against the people behind this grotesque act," Farhan tweeted on Sunday.

Others in Bollywood, including actors Swara Bhasker, Richa Chadha, and Shruti Seth, and screenwriter Varun Grover, have spoken out against the problem, calling it "disgusting."

According to Grover, the country's targeting of Muslims is systematic and purposeful.

"Islamophobia is not the right word for what we are seeing today. Phobias, though irrational, still have an element of doubt, external triggers, and potential cures."

The scriptwriter wrote, "The genocide calls and auctions are deliberate, doubtless hatred aided by news TV propaganda and support from the system."

The Delhi Police requested information from the GitHub platform on the creator of the contentious "Bulli Bai" app on Monday, as well as from Twitter regarding the account handler who initially tweeted about it.

Following calls for action against the app's creators, Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw stated on Sunday that the government is cooperating with police in Delhi and Mumbai, where complaints have been filed.

Also Read: Hyderabad Police Warn NRIs Against Hate Posts on Social Media

He also stated that the individual who uploaded the programme has been blocked by GitHub and that the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), the country's cyber security nodal organisation, and police are coordinating future action in the case.

A senior Delhi Police officer said on Monday, "As part of the probe into the matter, we have written to Twitter seeking information about the account handle who had first tweeted about the ‘Bulli Bai’ app."

"This is to know how the person concerned came across the alleged application which had offensive content written about women of a particular community."

The news comes after the Delhi Police filed an FIR on Saturday night against unknown individuals for allegedly posting a doctored photo of a female journalist on a website. A copy of the journalist's online complaint was circulated on Twitter.

According to the police, a case was filed at the southeast district's cyber police station on Saturday night. So far, no arrests have been made in the case, and an investigation is continuing, they stated.

The Delhi Police's Cyber Cell opened an investigation after receiving a similar allegation about an unnamed gang uploading images of Muslim women to the 'Sulli Deals' mobile application in July of last year. Officials from the police department confirmed that an inquiry is underway in that case as well, but declined to comment.