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Sulli Deals

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"Sulli Deals"[a] was an open-source app which contained photographs and personal information of some 100 Muslim women online.[1] An FIR was filed by the Delhi Police with National Commission for Women India taking suo moto cognisance of the matter on 8 July 2021.[2] The creator of the app was a BCA Student from Indore, Madhya Pradesh.[3][4] On 9 January 2022, Thakur, who created the app to "defame" Muslim women, was arrested by the Delhi Police.[5] Thakur was granted bail on 29 March by the court.[6]

Incident

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On 4 July 2021, several pictures of Muslim women were posted on Twitter, where each was described as a "deal of the day".[7][8] Several accounts spoke against the app, which was hosted on GitHub as an "open-source project." After multiple complaints, GitHub took the app down and suspended the "sullideals" account which hosted the app.[9]

This was not the first time Muslim women were harassed by right-wing social media users. In May 2021, a YouTuber named Liberal Doge "rated out of 10" Pakistani women in his livestream and some group of anonymous accounts harassed Hasiba Amin, the National Convenor of Congress IT Cell.[10] According to analysts, the same group of people were behind the Sulli Deals app. However, Liberal Doge denied any connection with the Sulli Deals app.[11][12]

Reaction

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Commentators have described the app as targeted harassment against Muslim women, with NCW taking suo moto cognizance over the matter and Delhi Police Cyber Cell registering an FIR under section 354-A.[13] One of the targeted women, pilot Hina Khan, filed a separate FIR with Delhi Police under section 509 and section 66,67 of the IT Act. Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote to the IT minister demanding strict and urgent action against the creators of the app.[14] In addition, 56 MPs across party lines signed a letter to the home minister Amit Shah seeking redressal.[15]

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor and AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi showed solidarity with the targeted women and assured that they would pursue the case to prevent further misuse of social media.[16] More than 800 women-rights activists from all over India released a statement seeking action against the culprits.[17]

Both GitHub and Twitter were criticized for failing to prevent further harassment of Muslim women after the auction fiasco and not taking quick action against the sullideals account.[18][19] As of November 2021, the identity of the creator of the app was still unknown, with GitHub refusing to share data to Indian authorities through the usual CrPC notice.[20]

On 6 January 2022, the Delhi Police said they were looking for the actual creator of the app through MLAT.[21][22]

On 11 January 2022, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Minority Issues, Fernand de Varennes, said, "Minority Muslim women in India are harassed and ‘sold’ in social media apps, #SulliDeals, a form of hate speech, must be condemned and prosecuted as soon as they occur. All Human Rights of minorities need to be fully and equally protected".[23]

Arrest

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In January 2022, Delhi police arrested the creator of Sulli Deals, in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.[24]

Aftermath

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In 2022, a similar app named Bulli Bai was created to auction Muslim women, in which the same Trad group was involved. Police arrested Neeraj Bishnoi, an engineering student, in the case.[25][26][27]

In March 2022, Niraj Bishnoi was granted bail by the court.[28]

Notes

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  1. ^ The word "sulli" being a euphemism or slang term for Muslim females.

References

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  1. ^ "Sulli Deals: The Indian Muslim women 'up for sale' on an app". BBC News. 9 July 2021.
  2. ^ Ramesh, Mythreyee (12 August 2021). "'Sulli Deals': No Arrest Made Because We Are Muslim, Say Women Seeking Probe". TheQuint.
  3. ^ "118 days: No justice for those targeted by the "Sulli Deals" incident". Internet Freedom Foundation. 30 October 2021.
  4. ^ "'Bulli Bai' is a direct result of the state's inaction on 'Sulli Deals' & Islamophobia". The News Minute. 5 January 2022.
  5. ^ "'Sulli Deals' Auction App Creator Arrested from Indore, 'Admits' Idea Was to Defame Muslim Women". News18. 9 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Delhi court grants bail to Bulli Bai, Sulli Deals creators". BBC News. 29 March 2022.
  7. ^ Khan, Hana Mohsin. "The dread of discovering I'm on an app that auctioned me". India Today.
  8. ^ Bakshi, Asmita. "'We won't shut up': Muslim women put up 'for auction' in India". www.aljazeera.com.
  9. ^ "'Sulli Deals': How photos of Muslim women were misused on a GitHub app". DAWN.COM. 6 July 2021.
  10. ^ "Indian YT Channel Streams Eid Photos of Pak Women, Spews Misogyny". TheQuint. 14 May 2021.
  11. ^ "Muslim Women Were 'Auctioned Like Cattle' on a Hate Site". www.vice.com.
  12. ^ "These Muslim Women Were Fetishized for Their Faith and 'Auctioned' Online". www.vice.com. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  13. ^ "Sulli Deals Cyberbullying Row: All About The 'Auction' Harassment Of Women". Shethepeople.tv.
  14. ^ "Priyanka Chaturvedi: Take urgent actions in Sulli Deals case; Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi writes to IT minister". The Times of India.
  15. ^ "Have urged Amit Shah to arrest those guilty in 'Sulli deals': Congress MP". The Indian Express. 27 July 2021.
  16. ^ Bakshi, Asmita. "'We won't shut up': Muslim women put up 'for auction' in India". www.aljazeera.com.
  17. ^ "'Act of Intimidation and Harm': Rights Activists on 'Sulli Deals' App Targeting Muslim Women". The Wire.
  18. ^ "'Sulli deals': 3 weeks on, no response from GitHub, police in the dark". The Indian Express. 26 July 2021.
  19. ^ "Muslim women being 'auctioned' on social media, Congress leader named files complaint". ThePrint. 16 May 2021.
  20. ^ Bhandari, Hemani (19 August 2021). "Probe in 'Sulli deals' case hits legal hurdle". The Hindu.
  21. ^ Bhandari, Hemani (6 January 2022). "'Sulli Deals' probe: Delhi police say they want to catch big fish". The Hindu.
  22. ^ "Bulli Bai: Sulli Deals 2.0? All You Need To Know About The Online 'Auction' Of Muslim Women". Outlook India magazine.
  23. ^ "UN official says app targeting Muslim women form of hate speech, must be condemned". The Indian Express. 13 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  24. ^ "Delhi Police arrests mastermind behind Sulli Deals app from Indore". The Economic Times. 9 January 2022. Retrieved 10 January 2022.
  25. ^ "India police make arrests in online 'auction' of Muslim women". www.aljazeera.com.
  26. ^ "Bulli Bai app: Fourth man held over the auction of Muslim women". BBC News. January 6, 2022.
  27. ^ "India: 'Bulli Bai' app creator brought to Delhi, to be produced before court". gulfnews.com. 6 January 2022.
  28. ^ "'Prolonged incarceration detrimental to his career': Delhi court grants bail to GitHub case accused". 30 March 2022.
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