tl;dr
On July 4, 2021, the news first broke about the “Sulli Deals” incident, in which Muslim women were specifically targeted due to their gender and religious identity. However, after much furore and backlash, there is still no end in sight for them. We wrote to the Delhi Police asking them to expeditiously investigate the incident to provide closure and support to those targeted.
What happened?
On July 4, 2021, multiple Twitter accounts posted the screengrab from an application hosted on GitHub titled, “Sulli Deals”. The application shared the photographs and social media handles of more than 80 women belonging to the Muslim community in India. The application showcased the information of the women in a way that the user could “claim a sulli” - the latter term is a derogatory term used by right-wing trolls in India for Muslim women, as the “deal of the day”. The aim of the application was to objectify and demean the targeted women by allowing them to be auctioned for sale to the users of the application.
However, even after 118 days since the incident, no arrests have been made. Below is a timeline of events related to the incident.
Our concerns
The lack of progress made in the “Sulli Deals” incident signals a worrying trend for women and minorities in India who wish to safely access the internet. Social media platforms are the town halls of our modern times. Yet, the persistent incidents of sexual harassment have made these platforms highly unsafe and toxic for women, ultimately leading them to disengage from social media altogether after facing harassment.
According to a study conducted by Plan International, one in every five young women have opted out of social media after being targeted or harassed. The abuses are further aggravated in cases of women who voice their opinions as well as those women who belong to minority communities on social media platforms and in turn, dissuade them from expressing themselves without any fear or inhibitions. Here, it is also important to note that some female journalists, who face constant harassment due to their gender and religion, were also targeted. This squarely violates the women’s right to freedom of speech and expression enshrined in Article 19(1) of the Indian Constitution.
In addition to the lack of progress, we feel that the Delhi Police has failed to adequately address the nature of the crime in the current incident. The application categorically targeted women belonging to the Muslim community and therefore, this is not only an act of gender based harassment but also an instance of targeting on the basis of religion. The application targeted these women specifically because of their religious identity as the aim of the application was not just to sexually harass women but to also demean Muslim women and their community by objectifying them and reducing them to “auction items”.
This is evident from the fact that the application title itself contains a derogatory slang term used to denote Muslim women specifically and not just women in general. Therefore, we are of the view that while the provisions related to sexual harassment, insult to the modesty of a woman and publication of obscene information are relevant here, this investigation is incomplete unless and until the Delhi Police as well as the NCW & the DCW take cognisance of the fact that this incident was religiously motivated.
Our recommendations
Despite it being more than 110 days since the incident and two First Information Reports (FIR) being lodged, no arrests have been made which have been revealed publicly. There are no clear reasons which can explain this lack of progress by the Delhi Police in this matter. In light of this, we made the following recommendations to the Delhi Police:
- Please make publicly available a progress report of the investigation so far which would include steps being taken pursuant to the FIRs which have been filed.
- Please comply with Github’s policies on information sharing to access the information necessary for the investigation.
IFF will continue to consistently follow up on the progress made by the authorities on this incident till justice is done towards those who have been targeted. Ensuring safe access to the internet is essential and we strongly believe that such targeted harassment needs to be dealt with expeditiously.
Important documents
- Letter to Delhi Police on Sulli Deals incident dated October 29, 2021 (link)
- Reply to RTI request filed with the National Commission for Women dated August 27, 2021 (link)