'Sulli Deals', form of hate speech in India, must be condemned: UN official
United Nations/Geneva, Jan 12: Harassment of Muslim women in India through social media apps such as "Sulli Deals" must be condemned and prosecuted as soon as they occur, a UN Special Rapporteur has said.
UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues Dr Fernand de Varennes took to Twitter to raise concern on the issue of minorities in India, saying Muslim women in India are harassed and sold in social media apps .
"#Minority Muslim women in #India are harassed & 'sold' in #socialmedia apps, #SulliDeals, a form of #HateSpeech, must be condemned and prosecuted as soon as they occur. All #HumanRights of minorities need to be fully & equally protected, Varennes said in a tweet on Tuesday.
The Delhi Police last week arrested Aumkareshwar Thakur, 26, who is believed to be the creator of "Sulli Deals" app from Madhya Pradesh's Indore, the first arrest made in the case.
Hundreds of Muslim women were listed for auction on the mobile application with photographs sourced without permission and doctored.
The accused, a Bachelor of Computer Application degree holder, admitted that he was a member of a group on Twitter and the idea to defame and troll Muslim women was shared there.
"He admitted that he had developed the code/app on GitHub. After the uproar regarding the Sulli Deals app, he had deleted all his social media footprints," a senior police officer said.
In a separate "Bulli Bai" case, the Delhi Police on January 1 registered an FIR in connection with an online complaint submitted by a city-based woman journalist against unknown persons for allegedly uploading her doctored picture on a portal.
The case pertains to the creation of the 'Bulli Bai' app, which targeted Muslim women by putting up their images online for "auction".
According to Delhi Police, Niraj Bishnoi, 21, who was arrested from Assam, was the alleged mastermind and creator of the ''Bulli Bai'' application.
He had disclosed during interrogation that he was in touch with the person behind the Twitter handle @sullideals, the alleged creator of the ''Sulli Deals'' app that was hosted on GitHub in July last year.
#Minority Muslim women in #India are harassed & 'sold' in #socialmedia apps, #SulliDeals, a form of #HateSpeech, must be condemned and prosecuted as soon as they occur. All #HumanRights of minorities need to be fully & equally protected. https://t.co/A8OBQPKVAx
— UN Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues (@fernanddev) January 11, 2022
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Two wanted men held after shootout with police in Delhi's Dwarka
New Delhi (PTI): Two men accused in an attempt to murder case in southwest Delhi's Chhawla area were apprehended after a shootout, an official said on Sunday.
The accused, identified as Rocky (22) and Sumit alias Koki (24), were allegedly involved in an attempt to murder on April 17, he said.
According to police, the incident involved two assailants arriving on a motorcycle, with one of them allegedly attempting to fire at the complainant from close range. However, the weapon malfunctioned, and the duo fled the spot.
Acting on specific inputs, a police team intercepted the suspects near the Urban Extension Road (UER) at around 5.35 am when they were riding a motorcycle.
When asked to surrender, Rocky allegedly opened fire at the police team and discharged three rounds. One of the bullets struck the bulletproof vest of a head constable, narrowly missing him.
"The police team retaliated in controlled self-defence, firing three rounds and injuring Rocky below his left knee. He was subsequently overpowered after a brief scuffle," a senior police officer said.
Sumit alias Koki, who was riding the motorcycle, was also apprehended at the spot with a loaded weapon and a live cartridge, police added.
The injured accused was shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment. The police said further investigation is underway to ascertain the motive behind the attack and to identify any other persons involved in the conspiracy.
